Pages 351 thru 400 - Second Bomb Group

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This general arrangement drawing of the KC-97F reveals the various crew positions, major equipment locations,
and air refueling tanks located in the main cabin.
riod, the last three digits of the tail number
were carried in large numerals below the tail
number. A SAC Milky Way band was applied
to the forward fuselage . The SAC insignia
was almost always placed on the SAC band
on the left side. Occasionally, the 2d Bomb
Wing insignia was carried on the right side
of the nose centered on the SAC band. Some
B-47s had names like City of Savannah painted
on the nose.
The KC-97s also were sparsely marked. They
had the standard USAF and national insignias
placed on the wings and the national insignia
located on the waist. U.S. AIR FORCE was located on the forward fuselage. A SAC Milky Way
band was wrapped around the waist. No unit insignia were applied. A single diagonal black band
was placed on the upper portion of the vertical
tail.
The B-47 jet era required new tactics, new
methods, and new forms of overseas operations. The Wing undertook all of these tasks
with high motivation and earnest accomplishments. The Wing service tested various forms
of overseas deployments, alert configurations,
and assisted in the development of post-strike
stratagems. To the credit of the commanders
and men assigned during this decade, the
Wing suffered only two major aircraft accidents and the loss of only one crew. The training and operating pace in maintaining readiness and the ability to launch a strike in less
than 15 minutes notice was a significant
achievement that demanded much from all
personnel. Yet, the 2d Bombardment Wing,
true in its tradition of Second to None, pursued its mission of nuclear deterrence with a
high standard of excellence. (See Appendix
23 for a summary of the Wing's major deployments.)
1954 6
TISgt. Thomas "Obie" O'Brien inspected the working end of the KC-97 boom when he came to Boeing in
Seattle for a delivery flight. A pair of boom lights may be seen at the top of the boom shroud. (Courtesy of
Thomas "Obie" O'Brien)
boom operator much easier. Instead of riding on
a seat as in the KB-29P, the refueling operator
lay prone on an ironing board. A set of pilot director lights was installed on the lower portion
of the forward fuselage, and a large yellow alignment stripe was painted on the belly of the KC97 to assist the receiver in aligning with the
tanker. The lights directed the receiver pilot to
fly UP, DWN, FWD, AFT.
With the arrival of the KC-97 s in the Wing,
the abbreviation for the 2d Air Refueling SquadronchangedfromARS toARefS. This may have
been done to preclude confusion with the Air
Rescue Service.
Markings on SAC aircraft in general were
rather sparse during this period. The 2d Bombardment Wing's B-47s and KC-97s were no
exception. Basically, the B-47s were natural
metal on the upper surfaces and had white
anti-radiation paint applied to all lower surfaces. The USAF and national insignia were
carried only on the wing upper surfaces. The
national insignia on the waist was only applied to B-47s with the partial white anti-radiation paint which extended up to the gear
and bomb bay door hinge lines. On B-47s
with the full white anti-radiation paint, the
national insignia was deleted from the waist.
U.S. AIR FORCE was placed on the forward
fuselage below the cockpit. For a brief pe-
Conversion to the B-47s began late in 1953
and accelerated during the first half of 1954, resulting in a combat readiness ahead of schedule.
This was immediately followed by a deployment
to North Africa in August, where the 2d was assigned to the 5th Air Division between August 4
and September 20. Twenty KC-97 tanker crews
were combat ready by January beating the
schedule set by higher headquarters by two-anda-half months.
Crews began returning from the Combat
Crew Training School at McConnell AFB near
Wichita, Kansas in February. By the end of the
month, the Wing had received 10 B-47s. The last
of these sleek jets .arrived in early May. On May
31, the Wing had 36 combat-ready crews, several months ahead of schedule.
Manning for the Wing was not complete and
stood at 85% of its authorized strength. Officer
positions were 93 .8% filled while the airmen
slots were only 82.6% filled. The largest shortage in officers was the lack of 13 pilots. The high-'
est deficiencies in enlisted positions were for 19
Aircraft Instrument Repairmen, 11K-Bombing
System Specialists, 16 Inflight Refueling Specialists, 8 Senior Aircraft and Jet Engine Repairmen,
and 10 Aircraft Electricians.
Wing manning by squadron in August was
as follows:
351
ment GrouplWing officer to achieve flag rank.
(See Appendix 6.)
Two B-47s made a round-trip, non-stop flight
back to Hunter with refueling support from the
2d Air Refueling Squadron which was TDY at
Ben Guerir Air Base. These aircraft made the
~IR
trip in 24 hours, 4 minutes and 25 hours, 23 min~
SQUADRO N
utes, respectively. They each made four
refuelings with the KC-97s. The 2nd ARefS arrived at Ben Guerir on August 7, marking the
first 45-day deployment of the 2d Wing to Morocco. (See Annex 23.)
In Operation LEAP FROG, the 38th Air Division ordered the 2d and 308th Bomb Wings to
launch 90 B-47s in two waves - 60 aircraft on the
first day and the remaining 30 on the following
day. The 49th Squadron was successful on the first
day by launching 14 of its scheduled 15 aircraft
on time. One B-47 was delayed because of a last
minute fuel leak. The 14 aircraft in the wave made
successful bomb runs on a strange target in North
Africa where the crews scored a 4,030-foot CEA.
On August 16, the 49th Squadron began
evaluations of the Marrakech Bomb Plot (a
bombing range in Morocco). The 49th put 14 of
its scheduled 15 B-47s over the target and scored
a 1,452-footCEA. This was a record for the Wing
and the 49th received a personal commendation from Col. Russell.
Lt. Col. EdmundA. Rafalko, commander of the 2nd ArefS, presented MISgt. Thomas 1. "Obie" O'Brien with his
49th Squadron maintenance personnel also
membership into the Clancey Club after "Obie" had transferred his first two million gallons offuel. "Obie" ·
distinguished themselves during August when
off-loaded more than 16 million gallons offuel and logged over J4, 000 hours during 17 years of tanker operations.
the unit flew 600:30 hours without an abort. Maj.
(Courtesy of Thomas J. "Obie" O'Brien)
George H. McKee was commander of the 49th
Assigned
when the Moroccans were one of the signers of Squadron during this period. He too went on to
Unit
this document of peace and friendship. During become a general officer. (See Appendix 6.)
Officers Airmen
121
WW II, Allied forces operated from bases in
48
Daily flying schedules were made for 12 B• Hq. Squadron
63
139
French Morocco in the drive to route the Axis 47s and six KC-97s. No flying time was lost in
• 20th BS
60
138
forces from Africa. In January 1943 leaders from September due to inclement weather; however
• 49th BS
136
the Allied nations met for the Casablanca Con- scheduled runs over the Marrakech Bomb Plot
63
• 96th BS
·2dARefS
256
ference to discuss plans for the war effort. Dur- could not be flown during the heat of the day,
92
13
381
ing the last few days of this conference, both because a lack of air conditioned facilities played
• 2dA&E Mtce. Sq.
·2dFMS
7
4 12
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister havoc with the ground-based RBS electronics,
150
Churchill met with Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben making its scoring unreliable.
6
• 2d PMS
22
Youssef without the French being present. The
Jet penetrations and GCA landings were dif• 2d Tactical Hospital
-----.2.2
Total
374
1,825
Sultan believed that the United States and Brit- ficult to perform at Sidi Slimane because of the
ain would support the Moroccan demands for lack of suitable navigational equipment. ArDuring August, the Wing had 15 airmen on independence after WW II came to a conclusion. rangements were made with the U.S. Navy at
TDY at various bases to attend technical courses
In 1947, President Truman presented the NAS Port Lyautey (now Kenitra), Morocco for
which lasted from 14 to 60 days.
United States Congress a policy which became jet penetration and GCA training.
The Wing had a large, on-going internal on- known as the Truman Doctrine. In essence, this
Every effort was made to complete one-third
the-job training (OJT) program for enlisted per- doctrine called for the support of free people re- of the SAC-required special weapons training
sonnel working to attain higher skill levels in sisting attempted takeover by internal minority before redeploying to Hunter. With the help of
their career fields . During August there were 690 factions or outside pressures (i.e. Soviet-sup- the 5th, 6th, and 10th Aviation Field Depot
men in OJT training.
ported subversion or insurrection) . This doctrine Squadrons in French Morocco, training was conWorking in SAC was not easy because of the was part of the U.S. strategy for containing So- ducted in practice loadings of Mk. 6 nuclear
long work hours, extensive and lengthy deployments, viet expansionism, and became the spring board bombs, inspections, release system checks, and
and alert requirements. The effects of SAC's arduous for U.S. bases in French Morocco. The agree- wiring check-outs. Special weapons training inregimen is reflected in the reinlistment rates for the ment for use of these bases was negotiated with cluded 108 in-flight insertions and extractions
month of August. Only six of the 31 eligible airmen France, and, in retrospect, improperly omitted (IFIIIFE), 38 Mk.6 bomb refresher courses, 39
bomb loadings, and 45 operational missions.
reinlisted, for a rate of 19.4%. High losses were ex- Moroccan representation.
Operation LEAP-FROG was a new post- Insertions and extractions involved inserting and
perienced that month in the 2d Annament & Electronics Maintenance Squadron where only two of strike operational concept developed by SAC and removing the core of enriched unranium and the
twelve eligible, re-inlisted. None of the seven eli- placed into operation in August 1954. The two wedges of TNT and their initiators which armed
gible airmen in the 2d Field Maintenance Squadron B-47 wings, 2d and 308th, from Hunter flew non- and unarmed the nuclear bomb.
stop on a simulated bombing mission to targets
During the deployment, 25 of the scheduled
re-inlisted.
in the Mediterranean, refueled and rearmed at a 27 gunnery missions were flown successfully at
Sidi Slimane to fly a second strike mission or to 100%. Another 32 of the 49 scheduled combatOPERATION LEAP FROG &
return to their home base. The first two units to load gunnery missions fired at 100%. Firing failparticipate in these operations was the 2d Bomb ures were caused primarily by ammunition
ANOTHER DEPLOYMENT
Wing, commanded by Col. Austin J. Russell rounds jamming in the guns due to loss of torque
U. S. relationships with French Morocco and the 308th Bomb Wing 'led by Col. John F. in the ammunition feed mechanisms.
extended back to the 1787 Treaty of Marrakech, Batjier. Col. Russell was another 2d BombardTraining at Sidi Slimane ceased on Septem352
2~
REFUELING
OPERATIONS
ber 17, and preparations were made for the
Wing's redeployment to Hunter. The KC-97s
from the 2d ARefS were positioned at Lajes Field
in the Azores along with other tankers from the
26th ArefS, of the 26th Strategic Reconnaissance
Wing. The B-47s were scheduled to depart on
September 20, 21 , and 22. On the first day, early
morning fog reduced visibility to below minimums forcing the take offs to be rescheduled
later in the morning. The B-47s flew non-stop
back to Hunter, taking on fuel from the tankers
at Lajes and overflying Kindley AB, Bermuda.
This exercise revealed a lack of adequate ground
refueling facilities at Lajes, which precluded
larger air refueling operations. During the redeployment, the B-47s logged 420 hours; while the
KC-97s flew a total of 427 hours, which included
the Lajes air refuelings.
Airlift for the deployment and redeployment
was furnished by KC-97s from the 2d ARefS
and MATS aircraft. The last MATS transport
arrived at Hunter on October 5.
Aircraft were routinely gained and lost by
units.because of depot maintenance requirements
and inter-unit transfers. By way of example, the
Wing had an average 5 B-47Bs, 43.4 B-47Es, 1
KC-97F, and 18.8 KC-97Gs for a total of 68.2
aircraft assigned during October.
Because of a threatening hurricane, the 2d
ARefS evacuated 20 KC-97s, crews and maintenance personnel to MacDill AFB on October
14.
near Orlando, FL, to be refueled over the Charleston, South Carolina area. A total of 19 tankers
were scheduled for each of the three days with
one as a weather scout and the remainder in three
cells of six aircraft each - Alpha, Bravo, and Coco
cells. (A cell is a loose formation. Tanker cells
flew to a refueling track and orbited while waiting for receiver aircraft. Both tankers and bombers fly within the track during refueling.)
The Alpha and Bravo Cells were backed up
by one taxi and one ground spare; whereas Coco
Cell was backed up by a single ground spare.
The refueling tracks are shown in the accompanying map. Second Air Force delayed the mission on the first day because of inclement
weather. On the first mission flown the next day,
19 tankers were airborne to refuel 15 receivers.
The two spares were used to replace two groundaborted tankers - one suffered propeller electrical problems and the other low torque oil pressure. All tankers took off on schedule.
On the second mission, 19 tankers were airborne and effectively refueled 15 receivers.
When one tanker experienced low oil torque
pressure on the ground, a spare aircraft took its
place. All tankers were off on time.
Second Air Force again postponed the third
day ' s mission due to foul weather. When
launched, 19 tankers were airborne to refuel only
13 bombers. Two receivers did not arrive in the
refueling area. Two ground spare tankers were
launched to replace ground-aborted tankers in
which one experienced a flap failure and the
other loss of two torque meters. No late tanker
takeoffs occurred.
Three KC-97s were launched on the following day and were effective refueling the two remaining receivers. No spare tankers were required.
Tankers from the 2d ARS flew a total of 195
hours in Operation SILVER CUP.
During 1955, the Wing participated in Project
BUSY BEAVER II, a Unit Simulated Combat
EMERGENCY DISPERSAL PLAN
During the Cold War, SAC bases were considered to be prime targets for the Soviet Union
and as a consequence an emergency dispersal
plan was developed for each base. At Hunter
AFB the following dispersal plan was made:
•
•
•
•
•
All flyable aircraft would get airborne and
orbit in specified areas until directed by
the command post to either return to base
or fly to the dispersal base.
The off-base dispersal area for mobility
personnel (those personnel required for
unit operations) and equipment was in the
vicinity of Pooler, Georgia. Local civil
defense authorities would be alerted and
provide clear passage for the convoy.
Robins AFB , Georgia would take up to
20 KC-97s and have fuel and lubricant
capability to service these aircraft with
7,500 gallons of 115/145 octane aviation
gasoline and 4,000 gallons of JP-4 jet fuel.
Shaw AFB, South Carolina would receive
up to 45 B-47s and have the fuel and lubricant capability to service each aircraft
with up to 11 ,000 gallons of JP-4 jet fuel.
The Base Public Affairs Officer would
have a canned statement that this was a
routine mobility training exercise if asked
by the press.
This plan was established on October 1, 1954
and tested on December 17.
KC-97s from the 2dARefS were scheduled to
support the 321st Bombardment Wing between
December 6 and 8 for an exercise named Operation SILVER CUP. The mission called for 45 B47s from the 321st, stationed at Pinecastle AFB
These three refueling areas were used by the KC-97s of the 2dAir Refueling Squadron during Operation SILVER
CUP. Two refueling tracks were located south of Hunter AFB and the third was over Florence, South Carolina.
353
Mission, validated a 24-hour ground alert concept, flew Globetrotter missions, and made a
deployment to Morocco under Exercise POOR
SHOT.
During January, the Wing provided aircraft
and crews for Project BUSY BEAVER II in
which crews were to practice in-flight-insertions
simultaneously with heavy weight refueling to
determine the maximum practical altitude at
which this operation could be performed. It is
extremely difficult to fly a heavily loaded airplane at the edge of the envelope (lines on an
airplane performance chart which define its limitations for maneuvering, approach to stall,
resiliance to turbulence, etc.). The Wing provided
five crews which flew one day and one night
mission to prove the concept.
In January, the Wing flew a successful Unit
Simulated Combat Mission (USCM). All of the
scheduled aircraft were airborne on time. Only
one B-47 aborted prior to refueling, and a second receiver failed to take on the briefed fuel
load because the tanker developed a hydraulic
leak in the refueling boom. The receiver, did
however, take on sufficient fuel to complete the
mission as briefed. Excellent bombing results
were achieved by the Wing, with the CEA being
475 feet. The USCM proved the feasibility of
mass day and night refuelings.
Airfield security was also tested as part of
the USCM. Penetrators attempted to sabotage
equipment and aircraft as part of the exercise.
As a testament to the abilities of the air police,
no aircraft or flyaway kits were sabotaged, and
all of the penetrators were apprehended.
During the first week of February, the Wing
placed six B-47 and six KC-97 crews on a 24hour continuous alert under a Second Air Force
exercise known as Operation OPEN MIND. The
bomber crews were permitted to go home, but
had to remain by a telephone because the bombers were not to launch for four hours and fifty
minutes after receiving the alert. The tanker
crews, however, had to remain in the alert barracks and were authorized absences only for
preflighting the aircraft, briefing, and dining. The
tankers were to launch early so as to be in place
for bomber refueling rendezvous. One tanker and
one bomber were cycled through the alert status
on a 24-hour basis to assure their mission capability.
Base munitions personnel, under the direction of the 2d Armament & Electronics
Squadron's loading supervisors, loaded three of
the B-47s with Mk. 6 training weapons and the
other three bombers with T-59 training bombs.
Daily checks of the training weapons was made
by these crews. Unloading and reloading the
bombers took approximately one and a half
hours.
The execution message for this exercise was
received by the Wing at 7:07 P.M. on February
7. The tankers taxied out within 30 minutes of
the Wing receiving the message. The KC-97s
lined up on the runway ready for takeoff when
they were notified that the exercise was terminated. The bomber crews assembled for their
briefing within 30 minutes of the alert. The briefing was completed in one hour and eight minutes; then the crews were notified that the exercise had been terminated. However, the B-47s
had to start engines, taxi out, do a 100% power
354
This is the boom operator's station on a KC-97. A B-47 was tucked into position taking onfuel. (Boeing Photo
45565)
run-up and check out the K-4 bomb/nav system
at the end of the runway. Combat crews, on aircraft loaded with the Mk. 6 training bombs, performed IFIIIFE cycles during the taxi out and
return to the flight line. All of the bombers taxied on schedule and completed this phase of the
exercise in an in-commission status.
The final mission report for Operation OPEN
MIND had the following conclusions:
• The operational concept of Operation
OPEN MIND is feasible.
• Alert periods for anyone crew should not
exceed seven days.
• No additional aircraft and crews should
be required for an operation of this type
without a corresponding reduction in normal training.
• All crews were well prepared for the mission and ready to go. The psychological
effect most evident in the B-47 crews was
one oflet-down and disappointment when
informed the mission had been canceled.
• Last minute cancelation of such missions
should be avoided.
• The concept of Operation OPEN MIND
should not be adopted for more than six
bombers and six tankers per wing because
of a corresponding reduction in normal
training.
The Wing was scheduled to lose all of its
existing B-47s between February and May and
replace them with upgraded B-47E aircraft which
had the latest systems modifications installed (i.e.
armament systems, K-bombing system, ECM
equipment, etc.) Delivery ofthe forty-five new
aircraft was spread over the four months of February through May. Among the new aircraft were
four that had the up-graded Phase III ECM, two
had Phase IV ECM, and one had Phase IVA
ECM. Electronic countermeasures was an ever
evolving technology.
When one side developed improved radar
detection capability, the other side developed a
counter to that threat. Subsequently, the first side
developed an even better radar which again must
be countered. This cycle usually occl,)red in threeto-six-year ranges. Hence, the various phases of
ECM. B-47s with Phase III ECM were identifiable by added wing tip antennas and a blister
fairing on the aft portion of the belly.
White paint was applied to the lower surfaces
of the B-47s as nuclear-blast protection. The
national insignia, formerly on lower surfaces of
the wings and on the waist, was removed to preclude burning-in from a nuclear blast.
The Wing scheduled 19 sorties to accomplish the required 15 missions for Phase I of the
Globetrotter Missions. Four aircraft aborted in
the air because of radar failures. Air Traffic Control clearances were obtained well in advance
for all of the missions; however, two minor problems developed when Wing formations conflicted with aircraft of other wings flying simulated combat missions in the same area. Minor
adjustments were made in the Globetrotter routes
and altitudes. The other problem was that adverse weather forced use of alternative air refueling tracks.
The 38th Air Division ordered both the 2d
and 308th Wings to perform Exercise POOR
SHOT, an overseas unit simulated combat mission that was flown between March 31 and April
This is the view of a KC-97 boom operator while servicing a B-47. (Boeing Photo)
16. While deployed, the two wings were under
the operational control of the 5th Air Division
in Morocco. A total of 70 bombers were scheduled to depart Hunter. One bomber ground
aborted on the runway and a second aborted in
the air and returned to base. Sixty-eight B-47s
. entered the refueling area over Lajes, but one
aircraft aborted after it lost an engine. One of
the receivers was unable to take on fuel in its
center tank but had enough to proceed to the
Moroccan refueling area. There were four aborts
in Morocco that resulted in early landings at
Sidi Slimane - one for inoperative radar, one
unable to take on fuel in the center tank, one
with inoperative airspeed indicators and radar,
and one unable to open the refueling slipway
door.
The refueled bomber force of 63 B-47s continued to their assigned targets in France and
Italy. One of the bombers was unable to take on
fuel in the bomb bay tank, but continued on the
bombing mission and altered its withdrawal route
to conform to its reduced fuel load.
The refuelings over Lajes was furnished by
42 KC-97 tankers from the 2d and 308th
ARefSs. In the Moroccan area, the refueling
service was provided by tankers from the 308th
and 305th AReFSs. The latter was based at Ben
Guerir.
The strike phase of the exercise was comprised of four waves ofB-47s in cells offour or
five bombers, at intervals of 10, 14, and 10 hours,
respectively. The formation for each wave· was
line abreast. Designated target areas were in
France and Italy. The post-strike recovery base
was Sidi Slimane.
For the redeployment to Hunter, the bombers were launched in three main elements. Air
refueling was accomplished over Lajes. One B47, in the first wave, was directed to deliver a
duplicate package of strike photographs and logs
to Headquarters Second Air Force at Barksdale
AFB. Weather caused the crew to divert into
MacDill AFB, FL.
The possibility of fog developing in the Mascot, French Morocco refueling area caused con-
Belching fire and smoke from its belly, this B-47E was making a RATO takeoff. These bottles would be dropped in a clearway at the end of the runway. (Boeing Photo)
355
A 8 -47 takes fuel from a KC-97. Note how the wings on both aircraft are bent upwards under normall-g flight
loads. The 8-47 has added a bit offlaps to slow down behind the lumbering tanker. (Courtesy of the United
States Air Force)
cern because the tankers would not have sufficient fuel to divert to an alternate base and still
off-load sufficient fuel to the bombers for a longrange mission. Consideration was given to a fog
dispersal system at the bases in Morocco. The
FIDO fog dispersal system was subsequently
installed at the three SAC bases at Sidi Slimane,
Ben Guirer, and Nouasseur. FIDO, for Fog Intensity Dispersal Operation, was basically a heating system used to disperse fog.
Another concern was the designation of alternate refueling areas which were within range
of the tankers.
In the interest of flying safety, it was recommended that the refueling orbit areas either
be larger or that the refueling altitudes be staggered.
MATS C-54s provided airlift for the support
personnel of the 2d and 308th. Additional airlift
was provided by 14 KC-97 s from the 2d ARefS
which carried a total of 95,658 Ibs. of cargo.
Sultan Ben Youssef was exiled by the
French Government in August 1953, resulting
in considerable unrest in French Morocco. Supporters of the Sultan conducted a campaign of
terror, primarily against the pro-French elements of the native population. The situation
became extremely volatile in August 1954, and
several French officials were assasinated. Martial law was imposed and the French sent in
60,000 troops to maintain order. The political
situation was considered to be critical at the time
of Exercise FREE THROW, and was expected
to become particularly tense on July 28, 1955
marking the second anniversary ofthe Sultan's
exile. U .S. personnel were warned of the potential dangers in the cities, such as Casablanca.
Aircrews were briefed on survival and what
identification to carry with them. The intelligence documents normally given to the 2d
ARefS at Hunter AFB were held at the base
while the unit was deployed. Any intelligence
356
briefs in Morocco would be provided by the 5th
Air Division.
The 2dARefS deployed to Sidi Slimane with
22 KC-97s on July 16, under Exercise FREE
THROW. This was another 90-day deployment.
Additional support personnel were provided
from the 2d Field Maintenance Squadron, 2d
Periodic Maintenance Squadron, and the 2dArmament & Electronic Squadron. Headquarters
SAC directed the 1st Strategic Support Squadron from March AFB, CA to provide two C-124
Globemaster IIs to support this deployment. The
C-124s remained at Lajes to provide spare engines as required.
The tanker deployment schedule called for
the launch of one, eleven , and ten, KC-97s per
day, respectively. Despite local political unrest,
the deployment was conluded without incident.
A cadre of personnel from the 2d Wing was
sent to be the nucleus of the newly formed 384th
Bombardment Wing at Little RockAFB , Arkansas.
MID-AIR NEAR MAYHEM 8
On November 18, 1955, crew R-34, in B47E, number 53-2304, with aircraft commander
Maj. Thomas W. Greenwood, copilot 1st Lt.
Robert T. Smith and navigator Capt. Roger
Rawlins, from the 49th Bomb Squadron, were
on a training flight out of Hunter.
The crew took off at 8 A.M. into clear skies
and unlimited visibility. They climbed to 10,000
feet where Lt. Smith and Capt. Rawlins took
turns crawling through the hell hole into the
bomb bay to practice arming and disarming the
dummy nuclear weapon. This operation took
about an hour. The crew then climbed to an altitude of 25,000 feet and cruised up and down the
Atlantic coastline for their navigational legs.
Maj . Greenwood called back to Lt. Smith and
requested him to tune the radio for the Brunswick
ADF and Greenwood then intercept the southeast leg of the low-frequency radio range. Lt.
Smith was looking down and to the right as he
adjusted the volume on his interphone panel,
when out of the corner of his eye, he caught
something moving. He looked up and directly
ahead he saw a dark sea blue Navy Douglas F3D
Skyknight towing a target sleeve about a quarter
of a mile away. Lt. Smith looked to the left and
saw two F3Ds. Farther to the left, at a range of
about 100 yards, he saw another F3D heading
straight for him. The latter fighter was banking
and pulling up at the same altitude. Smith was
certain the F3D would hit them amid ships.
Smith wrenched his head as far left as he could
and figured that the F3D was going either just
over or just under the B-47.
Lt. Smith quickly turned to look to the right,
when he felt a thump almost like the forward
landing gear being extended into the down and
locked position. He never saw the fighter again,
but as he turned around he saw that the top portion ofthe vertical fin and rudder on his airplane
were missing - approximately three feet in
length. He looked at his watch and it read precisely 10 A.M. Their heading was 191 degrees.
Capt. Rawlins called on the interphone asking what had happened. Smith replied that they
had just been struck by a Navy fighter and that
everything was O.K. Apparently Maj. Greenwood was looking at something inside the cockpit and had not seen any of the events.
Lt. Smith asked navigator Rawlins if he had
any film in his radar scope camera and to take
some scope pictures to record their position at
the time of the collision. Smith then tuned his
radio to 243.0 Megacycles (the Guard frequency)
and called the other aircraft. The FJD. '-nvolved
in the collision was O.K.
The B-47 headed back towards Savannah and
was approached by one of the Skyknights. It was
then they realized that the encounter was with
Marine, not Navy aircraft.
Normally B-47s flew single-ship missions.
When the details of the mid-air collision were
sorted out, it was determined that the Marine
flight leader had spotted another B-47 which was
near the gunnery range and he called off the firing run. Had the other B-47 not been in the area,
Maj. Greenwood's aircraft could have been shot
down.
A jurisdictional dispute followed with the
Marine flight leader claiming an incursion into
the gunnery range by the B-47 and the Air Force
countering with photographic proof from the
radar scope camera that the bomber was not infringing on the range. The whole incident was
classified for many years.
1956 AND 1957 -
ALERT
QPERATIONS 9
Wing histories for the years 1956 and 1957
remain classified, but one development, reflective of the times can be told.
For almost 10 years Strategic Air Command
had the lUXury of conducting operations from
its bases without fear of outside threat. However,
by the mid 1950s the Soviet Union had developed its own thermonuclear weapons, amassed
a huge fleet of intercontinental bombers, and
developed a family of intercontinental ballistic
missiles. With such an arsenal, the Soviets were
capable of striking SAC bases using the element
of surprise. Gen. LeMay realized the potential
threat and ordered his staff to develop a means
of neutralizing the threat of a surprise attack.
After assessing the command's training, manpower, and logistics requirements, SAC planners
arrived at the conclusion that one-third of the
force could be placed on ground alert without
severely impacting daily operations and still
mitigate the threat of a surprise attack.
SAC conducted three tests to prove the feasibility of the alert force concept. The first test,
Operation TRY OUT, was supervised by the 38th
Air Division at Hunter AFB. Between November 1956 and March 1957 the 2d and 308th Bombardment Wings kept one-third of their bombers and tankers on continuous 24-hour alert. The
tests proved the concept. Problems encountered
were studied and a final report for Operation
TRY OUT was prepared for SAC by the 38th
Air Division. Two follow-on tests were conducted by the 825th Air Division at Little Rock
AFB, AR, and the 9th Bombardment Wing at
Mountain Home AB , ID. In July 1957 SAC began rotating its B-47 wings through bases in
Morocco where they were placed on alert status. Typical TDY tours to North Africa were 90
days in duration.
Col. Seth 1. McKee was transferred to Hunter
AFB in July 1956 where he served as Deputy
Commander of the 308th Bombardment Wing.
He then commanded the 2nd Bombardment
Wing between December 15, 1956 and August
26, 1958. He was ultimately promoted to brigadier general and CO and retired as a full general. (See Appendix 6.)
The Wing was re-identified as the 428th Strategic Wing (SW) on March 1, as part of the
USAF's major air command restructuring, and
carried this designation until April 1, 1963.
On October 1, the 2d Wing (428th SW) regained its fourth WW II squadron, the 429th
Bomb Squadron. This was in preparation for the
Wing's service testing of SAC's super wing concept. The 429th Bomb Squadron remained on
operational status with the Wing until November 5, 1962, and was inactivated on January 1,
1962.
The Wing flew numerous REFLEX ACTION operations to bases in England during the
year. The Wing also suffered the loss of a B-47
and its crew on one of these deployments.
Between 1949 and 1957, SAC relied on the
overseas deployment of entire wings to bring
pressure to bear on the Soviet Union. By deploying the wings, SAC placed its aircraft within
closer range of potential targets; thereby reducing the strike time. These deployments had severe affects on crew families which remained at
the home bases. Consequently, SAC developed
a new program called REFLEX ACTIONS, in
which flights of three aircraft from various wings
would deploy for two-week periods. These aircraft and crews would stand ground alert at the
TDY base and return home at the end of their
rotation period. The operating plan called for
combat-quipped Emergency War Plan aircraft to
rotate to forward operating locations on a weekly
basis from selected units within the United
States.
On January 1, the Wing, together with two
other wings, began a series of REFLEX ACTIONS to RAF Fairford and RAF Brize Norton.
During these deployments, the No. 19 Squadron, RAF Regiment, at RAF Brize Norton, was
responsible for the security of SAC assets at the
three British bases - RAF Brize Norton ,
Fairford, and Upper Heyford. This unit performed outstandingly during all of the SAC deployments and allowed no security breaches
throughout the REFLEX ACTION deployments.
In terms of manpower, the unit remains the largest squadron in the RAF, with 188 personnel,
including 11 officers and 25 senior enlisted personnel. The unit took on special interest during
1963 when as many as 1,000 peace activists protested the stationing of nuclear weapons on British soil.
During January the Wing experienced high
AOCP rates for the deployed aircraft due to a
lack of spares, which resulted in the aircraft being pulled from alert status. The REFLEX chief
of maintenance presented a staff study to higher
headquarters and within 10 days, the 7th Air
Division at RAF High Wycombe modified the
spares procedures. This resulted in a 50% reduction in the AOCP rates for the Wing.
Loss
OF OATMEAL
51
Three Wing B-47s were scheduled for REFLEX ACTION deployment to RAF Brize
Norton June 11. The three aircraft call signs
were Oatmeal 51 , Oatmeal 59, and Oatmeal 60.
The lead aircraft, Oatmeal 59, was scheduled to
depart Hunter at 6:52 P.M., June 11, followed
by Oatmeal 60 and Oatmeal 51 at 2-minute intervals. The three aircraft joined to fly the route
to Loring AFB, Maine as briefed. A special
weather report was received by the flight leader
while over a VOR station in Maine. The reported
weather at Loring was a measured 200-foot broken ceiling, 1,500 feet overcast, five miles visibility, with light rain and drizzle and deteriorating rapidly. The flight leader elected to fly south
and land at Plattsburgh AFB, NY.
Oatmeal 59 and Oatmeal 60 arrived over the
Plattsburgh VOR and made a jet penetration and
GCA approach to the base without any reported
difficulties.
Oatmeal 51. B-47E, sin 51-1931A, from the
96th Bomb Squadron was being flown by 49th
Bomb Squadron crew R-28, under the command
of Capt. Arthur Craven. At 10:56 P.M., Oatmeal
51 contacted Burlington Approach Control and
reported they were over the Plattsburgh VOR at
31,000 feet. At 11: 10 P.M. the aircraft was cleared
to descend to 20,000 feet, the jet penetration altitude. Six minutes later Oatmeal 51 reported being over hi -station and starting the approach, but
failed to report the procedure turn as requested by
Burlington Approach Control. The aircraft reported descending to 4,000 feet after a request for
altitude confIrmation from Approach Control. At
11:21 P.M. Burlington Approach Control called:
"You are well off penetration. (Jet penetration to
the base.) Turn, then contact Plattsburgh GCA on
Channel 1-6 at this time."
(Note: Jet aircraft operate most efficiently at
high altitudes. It the aircraft descends in marginal
weather and the pilot determines that the fIeld is
below minimums, he risks burning large amounts
of fuel which could preclude his reaching an alternate fIeld. For a jet penetration under instrument flight rules, the inbound aircraft maintains
cruise altitude until he knows that the landing can
be achieved. The pilot flies to what is known as
hi-station, obtains a clearance to descend to approximately 20,000 to 25,000 feet of altitude. The
pilot then obtains a clearance to descend, flies an
outbound heading on the radio beam, reverses
course, descends inbound to the fIeld, and obtains
a GCA clearance. This entire procedure can be
accomplished in about 10 minutes.)
When Oatmeal 51 contacted the GCA, the
weather was 3,500 feet scattered and an estimated ceiling of 8,000 feet broken clouds, with
an altimeter setting of 29.81. GCA had difficulty
establishing positive contact with Oatmeal 51.
The GCA controller had several targets in his
penetration area and proceeded to vector one of
the targets through a GCA penetration pattern.
Unsure of his position, Capt. Craven asked to
hold in a tum at 4,000 feet until GCA could get
positive identification. GCA stated that he had
identified Oatmeal 51 at seven nautical miles
from the station at 3,000 feet; however, Capt.
Craven called back that his navigator indicated
they were 30 miles out. GCA immediately directed the aircraft to climb to 5,000 feet, turn
left, and roll out on a heading of 1700 • Oatmeal
51 acknowledged with the following reply,
"Climbing to 5,000 feet, turning left to 1700 . "
When the aircraft failed to respond to the next
transmission from GCA, the controller initiated
a radio search through both Burlington Approach
Control and the Plattsburgh tower. It was assumed that the aircraft ran out of fuel and
crashed. The following day the wreckage was
found in the Cold Hollow Mountains. The crew
of Oatmeal 51, in addition to Capt Craven was
1st Lt. Frank 1. Jannarone, pilot; 2nd Lt. William G. Culbertson, navigator; and SISgt. John
R. Willis, crew chief, all perished.
In April 1959, a 30-inch high winged gold
trophy, in memory of the crew was presented to
the 49th Bomb Squadron by Mrs. Arthur Craven, widow of the aircraft commander. This rotating trophy would be presented at the end of
each subsequent four-month training period to
the crew that demonstrated the best professional
abilities and standards during that period.
The Wing flew REFLEX ACTION Wild Cat
Alpha in September.. The mission called for
movement of both bombers and tankers to England. ECM activity from other wings in the refueling areas created problems. It was determined that ECM activities should not be conducted in the vicinity of air refueling tracks because of the interference with communications
and the rendezvous electronics. Several of the
tankers experienced mechanical malfunctions
and in some instances the KC-97s did not maintain formation, course, or air speeds. Because of
the refueling problems, three of the B-47s were
forced to divert into Loring AFB .
Departure times which coincided with twilight interfered with celestial navigation. This
was only a problem during the summer months.
While deployed, the bombers only scored
357
30% on their 129 scheduled RBS runs. There
were seveal reasons for the poor performance,
including: 3 for aircrew errors; 3 because of
weather; 6 experienced fuel shortages on deployment, and 13 on redeployment; 20 suffered inoperative radars; and 40 because RBS sites were
closed on the weekend of redeployment.
During 1959, the Wing flew several REFLEX
ACTION missions, leamed the art of toss bombing, and had its B-47s modified under Project
MILK BOTTLE. The Wing experienced its second major B-47 accident during the year, however, this one did not have the tragic loss of life
as occurred in the 1958 accident. The Wing was
also given a performance inspection on a unit
simulated mission
The Cold War and the Soviet Union's continued belligerent international attitude meant a
continuation of SAC's REFLEX ACTION operations. The Wing's alert forces were deployed
to Nouasseur AB, Morocco in early 1959.
During January 1959, planes and crews flew
weekly REFLEX ACTION missions to England.
Five aircraft participated in Operation BIG
BLAST, and three aircraft flew in Operation
GRAY FOX. Two aircraft and crews stood 24hour alert, seven days per week during the month.
While maintenance contributed to a number
of flight cancelations, weather was the greatest
factor in missions lost during the month of January. In addition, aircraft were not available for
daily training operations because they were committed to other missions, such as reflex rotations, depot inspections, standby alert, and
Project MILK BOTTLE. Of the 48 B-47s assigned, 33 were available, and of the 19 KC-97s,
13 were available.
Soviet radar improved over the years, and the
B-47, which was designed as a high-level
bomber now had to fly low to penetrate potential hostile radar. Then, the aircraft had to be able
to deliver a nuclear weapon precisely on target,
and rapidly depart the target area without becoming a victim of its own weapon.
Two maneuvers were developed for low altitude penetrations to get below enemy radar
defenses and deliver a nuclear weapon. One
maneuver was the Pop -Up and the other was the
Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS). In the
Pop-Up maneuver, the B-47 was flown on the
deck, then a rapid pull-up to 18,000 feet was
initiated. At the top of the maneuver, the weapon
was released, the aircraft was rolled out of the
pull up and into a dive back down to the deck to
withdraw from the area. Meanwhile, the bomb
continued up to its maximum altitude and plummeted back to earth, allowing time for the
bomber to escape.
In the LABS maneuver, the B-47 was flown
through an Immelman turn (rapid directional
reversal in which the airplane climbs through half
a loop and performs a half roll at the top of the
half loop, and exits in the reverse direction). The
LABS maneuver permitted the bomber to literally toss the bomb out on the way up; thereby
permitting the aircraft to escape.
SAC lost six B-47s between March 13 and
April 15, 1958 and the fleet of bombers was
grounded for investigation. It was determined that
358
stress corrosion had developed in the milk bottle
pins (large bolts)used to attach the wing spars to
the fuselage bulkhead fittings. This rash of stressinduced fatigue problems was traced to the lowaltitude penetration maneuvers. While neither
maneuver was difficult to execute, pilots often
exceeded the G limits of the airplane, which in
turn induced fatigue in the wing structure.
An extensive modification program, under
Project MILK BOTTLE , was initiated to
strengthen the wing joint. Project MILK
BOTTLE was a six-year modification program
which extended the operational life of the B-47.
Needless to say, the low-altitude penetration
maneuvers were limited. Only 21 hours were
expended by the Wing in Pop-Up training during the month. By the end ofJanuary the Wing
had 44 crews with experience in the Pop-Up
maneuver:
In May, Lt. Col. Samuel B. McGowan,
Deputy Commander for Operations of the Wing,
became the unit's first recipient of the Master
Navigator's award. This is equivalentto the Command Pilot rating, and is identified by the application of a wreath to the star atop of the Senior
Navigator's wings.
AIRCRAFT
Loss
A major aircraft accident occurred on May
8, when B-47E-30-DT, sin 52- 179A, from the
429th Bomb Squadron was scheduled for a routine training mission. An instructor pilot was in
command of the mission. The navigator and two
student copilots were going up for training.
Power was brought up to 100% and the engines
were stabilized prior to initiating the takeoff roll.
When the tower cleared the aircraft for takeoff,
water-alcohol injection (WAI) was initiated as
observed by the heavy black exhaust smoke.
Personnel in the tower and several observers on
the ground witnessed the aircraft's progress
down the runway. As the aircraft passed the
5,000-foot marker on the runway, the black exhaust plumes suddenly cut out. As the aircraft
passed the 6,000-foot marker, power was heard
to be cut back, and the brake parachute fully
deployed after the aircraft had traveled approximately 6,500-6,800 feet down the runway. The
crew radioed the tower during this period, advising them of an abort.
On early jet engines, takeoff power could
be increased through injection of a water-alcohol mixture into the burner section. WAI increases the mass flow of gases through the engine by vaporizing the water. The alcohol provides the additional heat to vaporize the water.
This mixture for jet engine applications is typi cally between 22.5% to 25% alcohol. A similar
anti-detonation system was employed on highperformance reciprocating engines such as the
R-4360s on the B-50s and KC-97s where the
water reduces the cylinder head temperatures
to prevent fuel detonation at higher power settings . The ADI mixture of water and alcohol is
50% of each component. Maintenance crews
had to be thoroughly schooled in the differences between these two power-enhancing flu ids, lest the aircraft be serviced with the wrong
mixture.
The tower alerted the crash crew when they
observed the WAI cut out. As the aircraft came
to rest 1,100 feet beyond the end of the runway,
smoke was coming from the No.2 and 3 engines. The crash crew arrived at the scene shortly
after the aircraft came to a stop and quickly extinguished the fire.
An unsuccessful attempt to open the canopy
was abandoned and all four crewmen escaped
through the navigators escape hatch. While the
crew suffered no visible injuries, they were taken
to the base hospital for examination and observation.
An accident investigation team was on site
shortly after the accident. They found the aircraft extensively damaged including: the forward main landing gear broke and collapsed into
the bomb bay; both outrigger gear collapsed;
engine pods 2, 3, 4, and 5 tore loose from the
wings; the lower fuselage skin from the nose
section to the aft wheel well area were severely
damaged; extreme fire damage to the wing
above the inboard engine nacelle; and the right
external fuel tank ruptured, but the fuel drained
down into the drainage ditch; thereby precluding a major fire.
Boeing was asked to do a performance analysis of the takeoff and the abort action. It was determined that the aircraft could have been successfully flown off with the loss of one engine and the
loss of WAI at the 5,300-foot mark. In addition,
the aircraft could have been stopped in the remaining runway if the brakes had been fully applied at
the 6,000-foot mark and the brake chute fully deployed at the 6,800-foot mark. Failure of the approach chute to deploy only added an additional
80 feet to the stopping distance.
The Accident Investigation Board found that
the instructor pilot in command had used faulty
judgment in initiating the abort and in not using
all available braking means to their fullest. In
addition, there was some suspicion that the WAI
system had not been completely serviced after a
test hop which was flown earlier in the morning
and the aircraft maintenance forms were not up
to date.
In June, the 38th Air Division evaluated the
Wing's performance in a simulated combat mission. The 38th Air Division gave the Wing an
overall 92.3% score. For the Preparation Phase,
the Wing was awarded 100% of the possible
points; while the Execution Phase was given a
score of 88.9%. Eighteen B-47s were launched
with the following results:
•
•
Fourteen B-47s flew the mission as
briefed.
One B-47 completed the first air refueling and aborted due to an inoperative radar and smoke in the cockpit.
One B-47 did not complete the air refueling phase because of a pressure system
failure in a KC-97s air refueling system;
however the bomber managed to fly the
route as briefed as far as the synchronous
RBS and landed at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas.
One B-47 ground aborted due to a canopy
lock malfunction.
One B-47 flew the mission as briefed
through the synchronous RBS run and
made a precautionary landing at Little
Rock AFB due to an engine flame out and
an inoperative wing fuel tank.
(Base Flight) received the USAF Flying Safety
Plaque.
This unusual photograph shows two 2d Bomb Wing aircraft performing a low- level refueling demonstartion
during deployment to Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico in February 1961, as part of Exercise BLUE BANNER. To
perform such an operation at low level required the crews to be very experienced, and the aircraft extremely
light. Usually little or no fuel was transferred. (2d Bomb Wing History)
• Two of the sorties were rescheduled.
• Fi ve weather scouts were launched for the
exercise and all of these aircraft experienced difficulties flying the directed route
due to Air Route Traffic Control clearance
problems in the refueling areas. These
problems resulted in last-minute schedule changes.
One weather scout experienced HF radio
failure after becoming airborne, aborted,
and was replaced by another weather
Scout.
One gross bombing error was experienced
due to a tone malfunction in the bombing
system.
On July 15, the 308th Bombardment Wing
left Hunter AFB for Plattsburgh AFB, New York,
making Hunter a single bomb wing base
equipped with 45 B-47s. On November 1, the
Wing was reassigned from the 38th Air Division to the 6th Air Division, based at Homestead
AFB, FL. The Wing tested the super wing concept between July 1959 and April 1969, when
the number of assigned aircraft was increased
from 45 to 70.
1960 12
Most of the operations during 1960 remain
classified.
Conditions in the Cold War caused SAC to
place one-third of its bomber force on a 15minute ground alert status. This level of alert
status was finally achieved in July 1960. This
meant that the alert aircraft had to be cocked and
ready to takeoff within 15 minutes of the alert
order. (A cocked aircraft was fully loaded and
fueled. All systems were preflighted and switches
were set so all that was required for start was
ground power.) At the time, SAC had 12 heavy
bombardment wings equipped with a total of 538
B-52s and another 25 medium bombardment
wings with 1,178 B-47s.
During combat operations it may be required
to refuel and rearm returning aircraft for a second strike. These types of operations were designated Yo-Yo missions. Wing bombers participated in Yo -Yo missions during July 1960. For
these missions, the Deputy Commander for
Maintenance selected certain aircraft to be
scheduled to fly before 5 P.M., and earlier if possible. This time was set to permit the require
maintenance to be performed during a normal
duty day. The flight crew was responsible for
alerting the Wing Command Post of the maintenance status of their aircraft. Any maintenance
write-ups which might affect the second sortie
were reported by the Command Post to Maintenance Job Control at least 45 minutes prior to
the aircraft landing. Maintenance would have the
Command Post query the flight crew as required
for additional information.
Bombers crews flew a prescribed mission and
returned to base within 10 minutes of the planned
schedule then taxied to a refueling pit, where
they were met and a maintenance debriefing was
conducted on the spot. The bomber was given
required maintenance, serviced, preflighted, and
launched on a second sortie.
The Wing was judged the best B-47 Wing in
the SAC annual Bombing and Navigation Competition, and the 2nd Combat Support Group
The unclassified Wing history for the period
records the Wing's performance in the SAC
Bombing & Navigation Competition, a VIP demonstration, REFLEX ACTION operations, and
the effect of another potential Berlin crisis.
During 1961, SAC inactivated its three strategic
support squadrons and the C-124s were transferred to MATS. On June 15, SAC's 3d Strategic Support Squadron, then assigned directly to
the 823d Air Division, was inactivated. As a result, greater pressure was placed on the Wing's
Base Flight to perform much of the routine transport operations.
The Cold War continued to impact operations,
and SAC was ordered by President Kennedy to
place one-half of its force on 15-minute ground
alert .. This level was achieved by July 1961. At
that time SAC had 571 B-52s in 14 heavy bombardment wings and 22 heavy strategic wings,
and 889 B-47s in 21 medium bombardment
wings.
During the SAC Annual Bombing & Navigation Competition each SAC wing flew its own
training missions to meet SAC's War Plan. The
best crews and aircraft then competed within the
Second, Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces during
Phase I of the competition. At the end of Phase I
in February, Wing B-47 crews were first overall
and individual crews took first and third places.
During May, the Wing flew 43 missions in the
competition, and placed third for B-47s within
the Eighth Air Force. When the competion was
over for 1961, the Wing was the top B-47 unit,
and placed first in bomber crew navigation. The
crews representing the Wing were crew S-94,
(Score 917.8) with aircraft commander Lt. Col.
William G. Neimes, copilot 1st Lt. Charles W.
McBride, and navigator Capt. Maj. Richard G.
Haag, and crew S-06, (Score 837.8), commanded
by Maj. Arthur L. Herman, copilot Capt. William L. Reimsnider, and navigator Maj. Ray T.
Henderson.
Four B-47s from the Wing departed Hunter
on February 22, to participate in an aerial demonstration over Peurto Rico. The aircraft staged
out of Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico. In addition,
three B-52s and the KC-135s from the 72d Bombardment Wing participated in the fly-over that
included low-level fly-bys, and mass low-level
refuelings, for Puerto Rican dignitaries.
On April 1, the Wing was transferred from
control of the 6th Air Division to the 823d Air
Division, which had replaced the 6th Air Division at Homestead AFB, FL, and became part of
the Eighth Air Force.
REFLEX ACTION OPERATIONS 14
SAC continued REFLEX ACTION rotations
to Morocco. The French had about 20,000 troops
guarding the SAC bases in Morocco until April
1,1959. Thereafter, the U.S. had enough forces
in place for self-sufficient security. The Wing
again deployed to Nouasseur AB in January and
July 1961. For these REFLEX ACTION operations, the Wing deployed six B-47s and nine
crews. This force was maintained by deploying
359
and redeploying three aircraft and crews each
week. The a\·erage IOUI' of duty for e3ch crew
W3S two weeks. [n addition. the 2d ARefS m:li ntained a force of six KC-97s and sc\·en crews at
Harmon AB. NewfoundllUld. Rotations were
s1:lggered so that crews rotated each week af·
tel' two weeks of TOY. Refueling for the de·
ployments was furni shed by KC-97s over a low
altitude track known as Sal ty Spray off of
Kindley AFB. Bemluda. Forthe rclUm r..:deployment refuelings. two low :I[t itude tracks were
used - an area off Lajc.~. Azores known as Pen
Picker and the Salty Spray tr.lck off Bermuda.
A new forward operaling location was esmb·
lished in Spain for SAC in the earl y I %Os. The
Wing provided 7 B-47 crews at Moron All, 10
at Zar.lgosa. and 3 at Torrejon to support REFLEX ACTION a lert o peratio ns fro m these
bases.
Afte r the KC- 13S Stratotankers came into
the inventory they replaced the prope ller-driven
KC-97s for moreeflicient refueling of the Spanish REFLEX ACf[ON deployments. KC- 13S.s
from the 911th ARers, 72nd Bombardment
Wing. Turner AFB. Georgia: and the 91 Sth
ARers. 4241 st Strategic Wing. Seymour Johnson
AFB. South Carolin:! provided high-altilUde jet
refueling service along a refueling area. Sea
Scape. o\·er the mid-Atla nt ic.
The emergency alte rnate base used whe n
deploying from Hunter AFB was Pe ase AFI3.
New Uam pshire. On redeploymenlS. the aircraft
could use either Lajes or Pease.
The Wing was among the units who were 10
shut down its 8--47 opcr.ltions in 1961 3S P3rt of
Secreta ry of Defense Robert S. McNamara·s
program for rapid ph3se-out of the 8-47 bomber.
On July 2S. 1% I, thc Uni ted States and the Soviet Union appeared to be headed towards another showdown over Berlin. Six bombardment
wings :!nd s ix air refueling squadrons were
spared the ax.
SAC committed SO% of its bomber forcc to
a IS-minute ground alert status. This goal was
achieved by Jul y.Atthattime SAC had 14 heavy
bombardment wings and 22 heavy strategic
wings equipped Wilh 571 B-S2s. and another 21
medium bombardment wings equipped wit h 889
B--47s.
1962 "
On January I. the 429th Bomb Squadron was
inactivated. The Wing continued to suppon the
Eighth Air Force·s REFLEX ACTIONS in Morocco, Newfoulldland, and Spain. [t d.:ployed to
NoausscurAB. in J ul y. and to Ben GuerirAB in
December. Col. John W. Kli ne. Wing commander. paid a visit to his deployed personnel
on December 5. The Wing·s trnining was pOI to
the test in October and Novcmber during the
CII/XIII Crisis ..
CUBAN CR ISIS
Disco\·ery ofthc SO\'ict covert allempt to put
offensh'c missiles in Cuba brought the U.S. and
the USSR eloser to the brink of W3r than any
oth.:r crisis in the post-WW 11 era. The Joint
Chiefs of Staff ordered a reconnai .~sance overfli ght of Cuba. and on October 14 a U-2 from
the 4080th Strntegic Wing brought bac k irrefutJ60
u curil), .. VIH I priority "quirt'm~'" Oil Im y SAC oou. IIrrr atl lIi r J101k~mlm alld his K·9 glJ ill/II an
Th~ 1J·52 Ixhimilhr m "-(1$ lood~d ..·i,h all AGM·Z8 110000 Dog miuilt'. (Clmrt~s-" of tltt'
Unilt'd StaIrS A ir Foret'}
Fliglltlill~
1J.ff~nsi ..r $ /(JIICf'.
able photographic evidenee of the installation of
intermediate range ballistic missiles ( IRBMs).
On October 22. President Kennedy revealed
the misslc build-up to the American people. or·
dered an air and naval qo:mmtine on shipmcnt
of offensive military cquipn"ICntto the isl:md. and
demanded removal of the missiles. Even as the
U.S. Navy and Coast Guard set upa naval blockade. Russian ships were s3iling toward the island. Tensions mounted. U.S. annt."([ foll."Cs went
o n a futl warti me footing . Fifty-seven SAC
nudear bombers were on continuou.~ airborne
alert. SAC ordered its bomber neet 10 dispersal
IlTCas around the country. Soon commercial l.irports had airline mmp space lined wi th B-47s
and KC·97s. replete with air police security supported by dogs. SAC placed its bailIe staffs on
24-hour alen dut y, ai llca\·es wcre canceled. and
personnel were recalled to duty. Add it ional
bombers and tHilkers were placed on ground
alert. Florida beca me an arsenal of poised
American forces.
The st3ndoff continued unt il October 28.
when Pres ident Kennedy and SO\'iet Premier
Khrushchev reac hed 3g,,:ement on a formula
to end the crisis. The Soviet Union agreed to
re move its offensivc missiles from Cuba. The
removal was subject to verification by the
United Nat ions. On November 2. Kcnnedy announced Ihat the missile bases in Cuba were
being dism3ntled. SAC reconnaissance airernft
monitored the dismantling of the missiles. their
crating. and shipboard loading. On November
20. the Russians also ag reed to re movc their
medium-range Tu- 16 Badger bombers from
Cuban air bases. The Tu-16 was roughlycquivalent to the B-47 .
During the crisis the Wing B-47s were dispersed to Charlesto n AFB. South Carolina: and
the KC-97s were deployed to Lajes AB. Azores.
A major problem ronfron ting the units which
were deployed to non·SAC bases. was communications. SAC"s command structure required
~"Cu re communications between various headquarters levels, :lnd wi ng comm:lnd postS and
operational crews. Only pan of the requirement
could be met by commercial land-line telephone.
The most effecti\'c me<lrls of communications
was found in the single-side-band (SSB) f".Idio.
developed by the Emerson Electric Company in
Cedar Rapids, 10w:1. The SSB radios required
crystals to lock in the I"l.."<juisite f1\.'"<]uencies. A
U-3A BIII(' Clmoe from Hunter's Ba<;c Flight was
dispatched to Cedar Rapids to obtain a suppl y
of crystals. The U-3A also proved to be a ,·ery
satisfactory liaison aircraft for staff personnel to
ny between Uuntcr and Charleston.
Another llI:!jor problem encountered duri ng
Ihe dispersal was a shortage of non-tactical airlift. The Wing used its C· 123 PrV!'iders for this
purpose. SAC base night units used the C- 123
as a logistics support aircraft to haul personnel
and materiel for its deployed oper.l1ions.
Strict safety and security fC(luirerncnts were
imposed for all nuclear bombers returning from
dispersal deployment. The nuelear weapons were
to be di sarmed and carried in Ihe ferry cont1gumtion . There was to be no in-flight training on
the return routc and populated areas were 10 be
a\'oided.
Preparations for the return to Hunter were
completed on November 7. and prcflights were
initiatt.'<I on November 24. All necessary maintenance actions were completed between 3:35
and [0:30 P.M. On Ihe following morning. supplies and equipment we re loaded onto Base
f-light C- I 23 Prm·ide rs. Three loads of cargo and
personnel were nown back to Uu ntcr.
The dispersed B-47s were full y-loaded and
equipped wi th external RATO rncks. Flying and
landing with these nicks is nOt in the best interest of nying sl.fety. even if they are wi red and
safetied. As .. consequence, the RATO bottles
were removed from the bombers. the rJc ks were
wired. and the bollles were TCturned to Hunter
via commereial ground transponation.
RelUrning crews were placed on telephone
alert at their quarters.
Followillg the crisis the Wing resumed its
SAC tr.lining progr.U11 betwt."en November 10
and December 2. [962. The planni ng staff
worked on RBS Expl"f'sS ROllle bomber training
missions during this period. but the Wing was
relieved of meeting these requirements.
A number of the Wing's B-47s were seheduled for maintenance and two B-47s were loaned
to the Wing by the 384th Bombru-dment Wing at
McConnell AFB. Kansas. Because these aircmft
did not have the req uisite ECM equipment. chaff
dispensers. or the clip-in bomb capability for
the weapons in stock at Uu nter. these aircrnft
were relegmed to crew proficiency nying. Another three B-47s from the 3 10th Bombardment
Wing at Schilling AFB. KanS:ls also supp lemented the Wing during this period.
As a way of thanking the men lind women of
the Strategic Air Command. J'rcsident Kennedy
new into Offutt AFB. Nebraska and a number
of other SAC bases to pe rsonally e;<; press his
appreciation for their efforts in the Cu/nm Crisis. His tour brought him to Hu nter for a brief
visi t on November 26. At S A.M. secu rit y forces
were in place. Army helicopters. whic h were to
ferry the White House Press Corps to Ft. Stewart.
Georgia arrived at thnt time. A charte red Pa n
American World Airways DC-S arrived with 40
members of the press at 8:53 A.M. The press
corps bo•.1nled the helicopters. and depaned immediately for Ft. Stewan.
Air Force Olle. VC- 137C sin 62-6000. arri ved promptly at I0:00A.M. Preside nt Ken nedy
was greeted by Wing Commander Col. John W.
Kline. Others in the greeting pany included :
General Cu rt is E. leMay - USAF Chief
of Staff
Admiral Robert L. De nniso n - COIllmander-i n-Chi ef-Atlantic
General Herbert Powell - Commander
Anny Continental Command
Lt. Gen. Joseph J. Nazzaro - Eighth Air
Force Commander
Maj. Gen. Ral ph E. ~Ia ine s - Commanding Generali st Armored Division
Col. Thomas W. Ferebee - 2d Bombard·
ment Wing Deputy Commandcr for Mainte nance (he had been the bom bardier
aboard th e B-29 Elto/a Gay for the bombing of Hiroshima)
B OMBER PRODUCfION E NDS I6
Secretary of Dcfense McNamara wanted to
rely more on missiles than manned bombers and
ordered a reduction in the B-47 bomber force.
The last B-52H was delive red to SAC on October 26, 1962, marking the end of bomber produ ction for SAC for the fi rst time si nce the
Command's inceptio n in 1946, and the fi rs t time
since the YB- 17s were delivered to the 2nd Bombardment Group at L1ngley Field in 1937.
TheAir Force had proposed the North American XB-70 Valkyrie as the ne;<; t generat ion st ra tegic bomber: however, it was rejected by Secretary McNamara. Instead. it was suggested that
the Air Force "consider an alternative bombi ng
system:' as a follow-on to the B-52. McNamara
was looking for an airborne missile-launching
platform which could se rve into the ne;<;t ccntury.
1963"
This was another year o f major changc for
the Wing. The unit stood down on April I, and
lost its 8 -475 and KC-97s. More importantl y, it
lost the component sq uadrons which had served
it so well from WW I and th rough WW II . The
Wing was moved to its new hofne at Barksdale
AFB and became a heavy strategic bombardment
unit equipped with B-52s.
As departure of the B-47s acce lernted during February: training continued at a reduced
ra te. The Wing flew a total o f 59 training sorti es, accruing 2 10 hours of flying time: an hour 's
wo rth of test hops: and II :05 hours of ferry
fl ights. The 2d ARefS flew a total of 43 trai ning
sorti es durin g February. acc ru ing a total of
202:55 hours of fl ying timc. Another 15 ferry
missions accounted for 59:55 hours of flyin g.
RBS E XPRESS
MISS IONS
& OIL
B URN ER R OUTES
The Wing flew five hi gh alt itude RBS Expre.fs missio ns for a score o f 100% during February. Another 32 low alti tude missions were
flown along Oil BI/m er Routes. One of the low
altit ude missions was unrel iable due to a POI
reversa l within 15 seconds of the target. As a
result. the Wing scored 96.9% for the month on
Oil Blfmer missions. SAC used the high a ltitude
airspacc above the United States for its training.
Certain hi gh altit ude routes were designated as
RBS Express ROllte.f. For low a ltitude training,
SAC used restricted airspaces below about 1.000
feel above ground level for Oil Burner HOllle.f.
These rou tes were located in unpopUlated areas
of the Uni ted States and were gencral ly 20 miles
wide and up to 500 mitcs in length.
T he American presence in Morocco camc to
a close in 1963. While the Uni ted States wan ted
to maintain a presence there. negotiations to that
end were unsuccessful. Plans were made for the
Amcrican pullout and for ass istance to the Moroccans in convert ing the bases to civilian use.
American war rese rve materie l was removcd .
SAC completed closing down its opcT"J.ti ons in
the theater by June 1963. More than ),800
American mi l itary personnnel and the ir
dependants awaited transfer to bases in Spain.
England. and the United States. The final, quiet
transfe r of the bases in Morocco occ urred on
December 16, 1963. endi ng 13 years of inte n.'ie
operati ons.
The last of the Win g's REFL EX ACf ION
missions to North Africa were flown in February
1%3. The last 8 -47s deployed to Nouasseur AB.
Morocco on February 4. and the last redeployment was flown on February 18. 1963. Thela~t of
the Wing's KC· 97 REFLEX ACf ION deployments was flown on January 28. :md the last n.>dcployment was accomplished on February I.
The Wing flew its last B-47 tra ining sorti e
on Marc h 12 .. The sy nthetic trai ning devices
were being selectively di smantled for shipment :
howe ve r ccrtai n trainin g requirements cou ld
still be met throu gh the use o f this equipmen t.
As a result. when the Win g stood down it was
abl e to transfer com bat-ready crews to other S 47 wings.
The last B-47 depaned Hunter AFB on March
3 1. 1963. marking the end of a IO-year eT"J. o f
operations in this aircraft type. The 2d Bom bard ment Wing. Mediu m (4228th SW) was sc heduled for phase-oul. Its faci lities at H"u nter were
transferred to th e 63rd Troop Carrier Wi ng, a
C- 124 unit from MATS. which had been statio ned at Donaldson AFR, South Carolina.
The 2d Wing (4228th SW) was to be placed
o n the inac tive li st of Air Force Unit .~. Gen
leMay. the Air Force Chief of Staff, came to
the uni ts resc ue. In a move that was to preserve
the unit"s lineage, Gen leMay directed that the
4228th Strategic Wing be redesignated as the
2d Bombardmen t Win g. Heavy. :md that it be
tmnsferred, along with its 20th Bomb Squadron,
to Barksda le AFB. Louisiana. The re it would
assume the assets o f the 423Sth StT"J.tegic Wing
which was being inactivated. This was history
repeating itself as in 1942 when the 2nd Bombardment Group cxc hanged designations with
the 304th Bombardment Group.
Headquaners Strategic AirCom mand issucd
General Orders G-22 dated Marc h 2 1, 1963, di recting inactivation orthe 804th Medical Group,
49th Bo mb Squadron. 96th Bomb Squadron, 2d
Air Refuelin g Squadron. and the 30th Munitions
Squadron. as of Apri l !. 1%3.
Prom ptly at 8 A.M .. April!. 1963, an offi cial transfer ceremony was conducted in front
o f the Hun ter AFB Headquaners. Col. Frank B.
Elliott. Commandcrofthc 4238th Strategic Win g
accepted command of the 2d from Col. Harrison
P. Christy. Jr. The Wing flag. along with all of
its Battle Streamers. was also transferred. Col.
Christy then transferred command of the base to
Col. Roland J . B:lrnick. Commander of the 62nd
Troop Carri er Wing. Present at the ceremony
were the fo llowing key personnel:
Maj. G en. Horace M. Wal sh - Commander Eighth Air Force
Maj . Gcn . Willia m P. Fis he r - Commander Eastcrn Ai r Tmnsport Air Force
(MATS)
Brig. Gen. Jack J. C:ltlon - Commander
823rd Air Division
At the end orthe trJnsfcrccrcmony. the troops
passed in review. thus ending a 10-year era of
nuclear de terren ce presence at Hu ntcr AFB .
Georgia. With th c loss or one crew and only
two bombers in this period. the men and women
of the 2d Bo mb ardment Wi ng distinguished
themsel ves in developing ncw tactics and operational procedures to beller preserve the peace
during a tenuous period in the Coltl \Var. (Sec
Appendix 23 for summary of the Wing·s deployme nts during this decade.)
EmlllOles:
, /I1l1rl: S. 1I0ffmll/r. Hili/or. '"The 1I'0 rill Almll/wc.
199/." (Plroros Boob. NY. NY. 1990} pp 446. 447
1 liOF I S. lOllI'S. ··U.S. Bombers Amr)' lmd Air Forre.
1929- 1980. ,. (Aero Publi.thers. Fallbrook. CA. 1980)
liP 153-165
J AI",y" T. Lloyd. " B47 Slrlllrojel (i'rollrl("lirm
Versions) ill Deilli! allli Sca/e, " Vul 18 (KIIIJ/lboch
!'rtbUs/rillg. t\~wl:e5ha. 1V1 1986) "1I 4-1J. 64
• /I1llrrelle S. KII(lIIt"I:. ··P/lSI· n orM n or II Bomber. "
(Office "fAir Forct lIiSlor)". USAF \~".Ih IX; 1988)
" /58
, HOt!illg Fie'" Servia Ne ...s No. 135. lUIII'. 1951.1'11
2·/6
• Wlllg COIr""lillmed /I1ol1li!l)"lIisrories. JII/werry-MIIY
1954
MlSgr. Jimm )' DlIImels. Brief lIiSlor)' uf Ilr t! 211
IJomlxm.lml'nI lVillg (f/). SI'Jltl'mlH!r 1918 It) P,.,sem:
2BMIV lIist/lr)"Offi~. llll1t_lik,le AFB.LA /986. pp6. 7
7 Glm/,1 M. AdlllllS. Col. USA F (Rei). .. A lIi.flory' of
StrlUl'gic Air Bases ill MorocCQ. 1951· 1963." (The
Morrxclll' Reru,ioll Assaci/llim•. Olllum., Nli 1982)p 56
l. C. 1lolll;;IIs. "11ut DeI'e/opmeJII of Slmlegic Air
ComllwlIlI 1956-1986" (Office of lire lI isloriall.
lIeadq" orrer.<SmJ//~Sic Air Commollil. Jill)" I. /986)
I'P 55-56
IVins /lislol')' l.me·Jllly 1955
• Robert T. Smilh. "'lIfiswl:ell IIIi'll Iii)"..• Suomi
80mmminrem AS.fo c;m;(m NE IVSL£1TER. N". I.
199-1. I'll 3, 4
• Aler/ Olll'm/iollS IImlllre Smlleg;c Air Commlmd
1957· 1991. Office of lire 1Ii.1I0r;llll. IIq.SAC. Offill
AI-"B. Nt.: Decelnhi!r 7 1991. III) 1-3
,4 lVillS /lisrories. Fl'bnwry·. JUlie. September 1958
1V,/f Pefl'ira. "RAF IJrize Nono" - Gllle ...ay 10 Ihe
1I'0rlll.·· (Pa/rick Sll'phells. Ltd. EXeler. De,·m,shirt.
1:-"S/(l1I(11993) Jlpl2 /- 123
/I WillS" lIis/Orie.f, JI'lUlllry·. April, May. J!lIIl': 1959
u.s.
361
12
13
14
15
16
17
Ibid, July 1960
Ibid, February, May, August, September 1961
Ibid, December 1961
Adams Ibid pp 91,92, 125, 178
Wing History, December 1962
Adams, Ibid, pp 91, 92, 125, 178
1. C. Hopkins, Ibid, p 108
Wing History, February, March 1963
Adams, Ibid, pp 179-184
Wing History, February, March 1963
Adams, Ibid, pp 179-184
CHAPTER
XXI
THE BARKSDALE YEARS TURMOIL To END
OF
FROM
COLD WAR
(THE B-S2 ERA)
The U.S. nuclear force operations throughout the Cold War era were cloaked in heavy secrecy and tight security and much of the strategic air operations remain so today. Thus, this
history is deprived of substantial information
about the 2d Bombardment Wing's most vital
contributions to national security, and a detailed
insight into the grueling years of air alert operations and training through which those contributions were accomplished. (See Appendix 23.)
This void in historical data was compounded by
the practice of using temporary, provisional units
during the long conflict in Southeast Asia and
during part of Operation DESERT STORM. So
while the Wing supplied trained crews and aircraft to these units, the Wing received no credit,
or recognition for its crew's contribution to the
war effort. Crew combat records must be gleaned
from histories of these temporary, provisional
units or directly from the crews involved. Some
first-hand bombing mission accounts have been
included to provide insight into near-modern
aerial warfare.
Establishment of the 2d Bomb Wing at
BarksdaleAFB, Louisiana on April 1, 1963, ushered in an unprecedented period of over three
decades that the Wing would be assigned to this
one base, with the B-52 Stratofortresses as its
principle bomber. While the Wing benefitted
from the stability of long association with a
single home base, a principle bomber, and a singular strategic mission, the U.S. suffered through
a lengthy period of disillusionment and social
upheaval while much of the world in its sphere
of influence was also in turmoil.
One U.S. president was assassinated, another
was wounded in an assassination attempt, and a
would-be assassin was caught and disarmed
within view of a third president. One campaigning presidential candidate was murdered and
another was crippled for life by assailant's bullets. One president chose not to run for reelection because of failed national policy, another
resigned in disgrace, and a vice president pleaded
"nolo contendere" to income tax evasion, and
resigned.
The black protest for civil rights and the end
to segregation started on the principle of nonviolence, but its charismatic leader was murdered
and the movement met harsh reprisal from ardent racists and segregationists. Civil rights protestors, marchers, and workers were brutally set
upon by citizens and police. Some were murdered in cold blood, black churches and homes
362
were bombed and burned. But courageous leaders passed legislation outlawing racial segregation and a determined administration enforced
the new law, desegregating the first schools
through threat of force of arms.
Disaffected blacks rioted in the inner cities,
smashing, looting and burning indiscriminately.
Businesses were destroyed, many died, and thousands more were injured or left homeless.
For nearly a decade of the period, the nation
was embroiled in the ill-conceived and badly
managed war in Southeast Asia. Thousands of
young men fled the country and the draft. Antiwar sentiment and demonstrations turned violent and reached such intensity as to tear at the
fabric of a civilized society, and ultimately forced
an end to U.S . involvement in Vietnam. Vietnam veterans came home disenchanted and unheralded by a nation that failed to differentiate
between these patriotic and valiant veterans, and
the unpopular war in which they fought. The
over 50,000, who didn' t come home, had their
names engraved in the granite of a stark memorial in the nation's capital that became a powerful magnet that drew people toward reconciliation, and a place where the public could pay pastdue homage to fallen victims of a dreadful war
not of their doing.
The Vietnam war, scandals in government Watergate and Iran-Contra - and felonious
wrong doings by institutions and individuals on
Wall Street, were among the causes of spreading disillusionment with and mistrust of the establishment and big government.
Abuse of illegal drugs became a plague across
the land as large segments of the population,
morally adrift, succumbed to this form of escapism. Dealing in illegal drugs developed into a
vast and lucrative industry, corrupting individuals and governments. It was and is a major enterprise in the poverty stricken areas of the inner
cities, so much so that turf wars have been fought
repeatedly, with deadly consequences, between
competing drug gangs.
Only a few examples have been drawn to illustrate that much of the rest of the world was
not immune to turmoil. There were riots against
the U.S . presence in Panama. In 1978, the U.S.
approved turning over the Panama Canal to
Panama on December 31, 1999.
Unrest continued to flare in the Middle East.
An old fashion religious war (Christian vs Moslem) raged in Lebanon. The Shah of Iran was
overthrown, and Iran sank into militant Moslem fundamentalism under the Ayatollah
Khomeini. Public vilification of the U.S. was
encouraged and practiced. A dispute with Iraq
over the sovereignty of the Shatt ai-Arab waterway that separates the two countries started an
eight-year, Iraq-Iran war that killed millions.
State-sponsored terrorism became the political protest tactic of choice. Indiscriminate bombings, aircraft and ship hijackings and hostage
taking became commonplace. In October 1983,
two hundred forty-one U.S. marines and sailors,
members of the multi-national peacekeeping
force in Lebanon, were killed when a TNT-laden
terrorist blew up the Marine headquarters at
Beirut International Airport.
Terrorism abated somewhat after U.S. war
planes intercepted an Egyptian airplane flying
the terrorists to safety who had hijacked the Ital-
ian cruise ship, Achille Lauro, and killed an
American passenger, and other U.S. war planes
retaliated against Libyan-sponsored terrorism by
attacking Tripoli and Benghazi. Trade with and
travel to Libya were banned and all Libyan government assets in U.S. banks, and U.S. banks
abroad were frozen. But the threat of terrorism
still holds travelers hostage to the security systems installed to thwart the indiscriminant and
cowardly deeds of terrorists.
Revelations of Soviet government crimes by
one of its own - Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago, 1974 - and interventions abroad, including the covert attempt to put missiles in
Cuba, supply arms to Middle East Arab countries, expand communism in Africa, often with
the aid of Cuban troops, and the invasion of Afghanistan, intensified anti-communist sentiment. Frustration over decades of oppression
at home, aggression abroad, and duplcity in foreign affairs, finally led one president to breach
diplomatic niceties and label the USSR the Evil
Empire.
Yet, not all of these three decades were heavy
laden with tragedy and discouragement. The
U.S. put the first man on the moon and launched
the first space shuttle mission.
The U.S. faced down the Soviet Union over
installation of missiles in Cuba and negotiated
their withdrawal. The U.S. extracted itself from
the Vietnam war in January 1973 and while it
was an ignominious end (the communists took
over South Vietnam in April 1975 as U.S. civilians were evacuated from Saigon, and, starting
in May, 140,000 South Vietnamese refugees
were flown to the U.S .), it stopped the carnage
in American lives.
The nation recounted and celebrated its glorious past during bicentennial celebrations in
1976.
A Marxist regime was deposed on the island of Grenada. General Manuel Noriega was
removed from power in Panama by U.S. military intervention, and found guilty of protecting and assisting the Bolivian Medillin drug
cartel linked to 80% of the cocaine smuggled
into the U.S.
But by far the most historic events of the period were the collapse of communism in Europe,
the disintegration of the Soviet empire, the end
of the Cold War, and the resurgence of democracy.
After the leaders of the old communist guard
died, the new Communist Party General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev, (1985), promoted economic and social reform (glasnost and
perestroika), cut the Soviet military budget, and
withdrew Soviet forces from Afghanistan. These
reforms, coupled with the failure of Marxist
economies in Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Rumania brought the fall
of communist political monopoly, and demands
for democracy. The democratization of Poland
and Hungary was allowed to proceed unhindered. The forces released by these dramatic
changes and the pent up desire for liberty, led to
the remaking of the Soviet state and the disintegration of the Soviet empire. Gorbachev is generally acknowledged to be responsible for ending the Cold War in 1989. The most dramatic
symbol of the end to the Cold War was opening
ofthe Berlin wall in November 1989. The Cold
War did not end officially until President Bush
and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a
joint statement in 1992 declaring an end to the
adversarial relationship between the two countries. A series of summit meetings between
President Reagan and Gorbachev led to signing
of the INF treaty, agreement on banning intermediate-range missiles, and the dismantling of
all existing such missiles . Finally, for the first
time in almost 45 years there was a marked easing of tensions and a genuine warming of relations between the U.S. and the USSR.
In January and February 1991, the U.S. and
its Allies liberated Kuwait from Iraqi forces that
had quickly overrun the country in August 1990,
and had been pillaging it ever since. In a brief
ground war, and before President Bush unilaterally ordered a cease fire, U.S.-led attackers captured or killed thousands of Iraqi soldiers and
routed the rest, who fled, leaving the shattered
remains of their equipment behind. I
This mini-war provided a showcase for impressive U.S. military technology and professionalism. It gave a sorely needed boost to national pride and to confidence in the U.S. armed
forces following the debacle of Vietnam.
Throughout the period, the 2d Wing steadfastly trained and plied the skies in diligent performance of its mission.
"I.
FORCE
QaS3
These stable mates were assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB during the mid- and late 1960s - The
Corogard-finished B-52F-JlO-BO, sin 57-053 in yellow, with its white anti-radiation lower surfaces, a pylonmounted GAM-77IAGM-28 Hound Dog missiles, and the KC-135A-23-BN, sin 62-3570, also in the Corogard
finish. This photograph was taken in front of Barksdale Base Operations. Note the ornate scallops on the 2nd
Bomb Wing insignia. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE2
Barksdale AFB is located one mile west of
Bossier City, Louisiana; which in tum is located
about 10 miles east of Shreveport. The base was
named in honor of 2nd Lt. Eugene Hoy
Barksdale who earned his wings in England in
1918 and flew with the British during WW I.
On August 11, 1926, Lt. Barksdale was performing a test flight on a Douglas 0 -2 biplane at
McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio, when it went
into an uncontrollable spin. He attempted to bail
out, but his parachute snagged on the wing struts.
Lt. Barksdale died in the crash.
The base was established on November 18,
1930 and construction began on January 19 the
following year. Many of the permanent buildings were constructed during the Great Depression. The field was dedicated on February 2,
1933. Over the years facilities were upgraded
and expanded to meet the needs of assigned units.
Facilities were upgraded in 1948. Major dormitory construction was accomplished in 1951 (this
was one of Gen. LeMay's legacies to the hardworking single airmen in SAC). The ramp areas
were expanded in 1953 to support the B-47s and
KC-97s. The first B-52s began operating from
the base in March 1958, when the 4238th Strategic Wing, a major SAC wing, operated from
the base with B-52Fs between March 1, 1958
until April 1, 1963. A new runway was completed in 1959. The alert facility was completed
in February 1960, followed by the alert apron
in the fall. By April 1968, Barksdale was one of
the few SAC bases capable of handling a foursquadron super wing.
With the redesignation of the 4238th Wing
to the 2d Bombardment Wing, the 2d assumed
the personnel and assets of the 4238th, including 539 officers, 3,531 airmen (among which
were 26 combat-ready bomber crews and 34
combat-ready tanker crews), 16 B-52Fs, 20
These permanent quarters were as they appeared during the opening days of Barksdale. Today these same
structures remain as part of the base housing for senior NCOs and officers. (Courtesy of the United States Air
Force)
KC-135s and 21 GAM-17 Hound Dog missiles. The 2d then reported through the 4th
Air Division to the Second Air Force, also
headquartered at Barksdale. The 2d's subordinate units were:
20th Bomb Squadron (formerly the 436th
Bomb Squadron with the 4238th Strategic Wing)
913th Air Refueling Squadron
2d Airbome Missile Maintenance Squadron
2d Armament & Electronics Maintenance
Squadron
2d Combat Support Group
2d Combat Defense (later 2d Security Police) Squadron
•
•
2d Civil Engineering Squadron
2d Field Maintenance Squadron
2d Food Services Squadron
2d Organizational Maintenance Squadron
2d Supply Squadron
2d Transportation Squadron
Col. Frank B. Elliott was the first commander
of the Wing at Barksdale from April 1, 1963 to
May 15, 1964. He retired as a brigadier general
(see Appendix 6).
With the assumption of B-52s, the 2d Wing
acquired the durable workhorse that would serve
the nation's need for an intercontinental strategic bomber for over 40 years.
363
THE INTERCONTINENTAL STRATEGIC
BOMBER
During a meeting between Pre sident
Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill off the
coast of Newfoundland in August 1941 they discussed the consequences of losing bases in North
Africa and Great Britain. These concerns became
the genesis of the requirement for a bomber with
a 1O,000-mile range. The Army Air Force requirement for such an intercontinental bombardment aircraft was issued in 1946. 3
The' first airplane to meet the requirement
was the Convair B-36 Peacemaker. During a
major program review in December 1946, the
then CINCSAC, Gen. George C. Kenney believed that the B-36 was not the answer and argued for another airplane. On the other side was
Gen . Nathan B. Twining, Commanding General of the Air Materiel Command, who did not
wish to abandon the program. The B-36 was
not one of General LeMay's favorite aircraft
either.4
While Boeing was promoting the B-52 ,
Convair was proposing an updated B-36 and later
the B-60, a swept-winged, eight-engine derivative of the B-36.
CREW COMPARTMENT
UPPER DECK
BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRESS5
Boeing was awarded an engineering concept
and preliminary design contract for an intercontinental bomber in June 1946. During the latter
half of the 1940s, numerous changes were made
in the design concept to meet the fluid Air Force
criteria. There was a delicate balance which had
to be achieved between the existing state-ofthe-art limitations and the calculated risks required to capitalize on the potential future developments in airframe and components. At one
point the USAF considered abandoning the B52 program in favor of the Northrop B-49 Flying Wing; however, stability and control problems with the B-49 resulted in the demise of
this program.
During the late 1940s Boeing went
through three major design concepts based on
four and six engine turboprop airframes .
Boeing took its four-engine turboprop design
to Dayton, Ohio for a meeting with the Air
Materiel Command (AMC) during the week
of October 22, 1948.
The Boeing team met with Col. Henry E.
"Pete" Warden, AMC's Chief of Bomber Development. Earlier, Col. Warden was responsible
for encouraging AMC's commander, Maj . Gen.
Kenneth B. Wolfe, of the need for the B-47.
When the Boeing team presented their turboprop
design to Col. Warden, he suggested that Boeing
consider a new design around a new 8,000 lb.class turbojet engine then being developed by
Pratt & Whitney.
The Boeing team went back to the Van Cleve
Hotel in Dayton, Ohio and went to work on a
new design concept. The telephone lines to Seattle buzzed with data transfer as the home team
did the heavy number crunching. This effort produced a simple 33-page design proposal and a
balsa wood model. The result of this weekend
effort was a proposal for an eight-engine, turbojet-powered, swept-wing, intercontinental
364
34.
35 .
36.
37,
38.
39,
40.
41.
42 .
43.
THERMAL CURTAIN
44
TOILET
AISLE STAND
COPILOT'S SIDE PANEL
EYEBROW INSTRUMENT PANEL
HOT CUP
FOOD AND DATA BOX
COPILOT'S SEAT
STATION URINAL
SIGNAL LIGHT
NIGHT flYING CURTAIN
45: DEFENSE INSTRUCTOR'S SEAT
46. FOOD STOW AGE BOX
47, OXYGEN 80TTLE
48.
49
50:
51.
52.
53,
54.
55.
56,
57,
58.
59,
60.
61,
62.
PElISCOPIC SEXTANT MOUNT
EW OFFICER'S SIDE PANEL
DEFENSE STATION INSTRUMENT PANEL
GUNNEl'S PULLOUT TA8LE
(DELETED)
GUNNEl'S SEAT
EW OFFICER'S SEAT
STANCHION
PILOT'S SEAT
MATTRESS STOWAGE
PILOT'S SIDE PANEL
INSTRUCTOR PILOT' 5 SEAT
PERISCOPIC SEXTANT CAIIYING CASE
PILOTS' OVERHEAD PANEL
PILOTS ' INSTRUMENT PANEL
This cutaway drawing reveals the salient features of the B-52G upper deck of the crew compartments.
bomber, Subsequently the design was refined and
became the XB-52 and YB-52, tandem-seat prototypes. The XB-52 rolled out of the factory on
the night of November 29, 1951. The first flight,
made by the YB-52, was accomplished on April
15, 1952, The design was again revised to provide for side-by-side seating for the pilots,
thereby enhancing crew coordination. This design carried the designation of B-52A,
Airplane development is no simple undertaking. The maximum gross weight of the YB-17 s
was 42,600 lbs . The XB-52 had a maximum
gross weight of 390,000 lbs.! Between June 1946
and April 1952, Boeing expended more than
3,000,000 engineering hours on the B-52; as
compared to 153 ,000 which went into the B-17
design. More than three years of flight testing
went into the XB-52, YB -52, three B-52As, and
ten B-52Bs before the airplanes were ready for
delivery to SAC. A total of 9.5 years elapsed
from when the basic requirement was established
by the USAF and the first operational airplane
was delivered. The balance of the 744 total B52s, all produced by Boeing, was delivered during the following 7.33 years.
The B-52 has an 185-foot wing span and is
powered by eight jet engines paired in pods
hung from the wings. The fuselage is 9' 10"
wide and 12' 4" high. Almost any weapon in the
U.S . arsenal can be carried in the capacious 28foot long bomb bay located between the four fu selage-mounted main landing gear. The main
landing gear consists of four fuselage-mounted
struts, each with a pair of 32" diameter tires. The
main gear is steerable for ground operations and
is certified for crosswind landings. The gear can
traverse up to 20° to either side of the centerline.
Small tip protection gear are mounted outboard
on the wings, These gear are off the ground until the wings are bent under the load offuel and
external stores at which time they serve to support the outboard wing.
The normal crew on the B-52 consists of six
personnel - aircraft commander, copilot, radar
navigator, navigator, a defensive systems officer,
and a gunner. Additional seats are available for
a pilots' observer, instructor defensive systems
officer, instructor navigator, and a hammock for
a tenth crew member. Each of the six main crew
members is supplied with an ejection seat.The
additional crew members must find their own
way out, usually through an open navigator hatch
in the event of a bailout.
On the tall-tailed B-52B , B-52C, B-52D, and
B-52F, the gunner was located in the extreme
tail of the airplane; whereas the rest of the crew
73
CREW COMPARTMENT
LOWER DECK
63.
64.
65.
66.
MISCEL L ANEOUS EQUIPMENT SHELF
NAVIGATORS' INSTRUMENT PANEL
STAT I ON URINAL
OXYG EN BOTTLE
67.
68.
NAVIGATOR'S SWf PANEL
HOT CUP
FOOD STOWAGE BOX
DRINKING WATER CONTAINER
LADDER
REMOTE MODULES RACK
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
PRESSURE BULKHEAD DOOR
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT RACK
CEN T RAL URINAL
I NSTRUC TOR NAVIGATOR'S TAKEOFF·
LANDING SEAT
77.
78.
79.
POWER SUPPl Y RACK
RADAR NAVIGATOR'S SEAT
ao.
81.
RADAR NAVIGATOR'S SIDE PAN EL
INSTRUCTOR NAVIGATOR'S DUTY SEAT
NAVIGATOR'S SEAT
This cutaway drawing reveals the salient features of the B-52G lower deck of the crew compartments.
was housed in the forward fuselage. The crew in
the forward compartment had to call the tail gunner at regular intervals to ensure his welfare. On
occasion, one of the crewmen in the forward
fuselage had to wend their way back to the tail
to provide assistance to an ailing gunner. With
the short-tailed B-52G and B-52H series airplanes, the gunner was moved into the forward
fuselage and was seated next to the defensive
systems officer.
All but the B-52Hs were powered by some
variant of the original J57-PW turbojet engine.
Over the production life of these engines, the
thrust was increased from 10,000 lbs. dry (11 ,000
lbs. wet) to 11,200 lbs. dry (13,750 lbs. wet).
These engines produced the tell-tale black exhaust plumes during water-injected takeoffs. The
B-52Hs are powered by 17,000 lb. static thrust
TF33-PW turbofan engines which have a marked
reduction in specific fuel consumption (SFC).
As a result of this lowered SFC, the unrefueled
range of the B-52H is 4,510 nautical miles as
compared to 3,785 for the B-52G.
A refueling receptacle is located behind the
pilots. A slip way door opens, allowing the
tanker's refueling boom to enter the receptacle.
With inflight refueling, the range of the B-52 is
limited only by engine oil and crew fatigue .
Defensive armament on most the B-52s consisted
of four .50 caliber machine guns mounted in a
tail turret. The B-52Cs, Ds, Es and Fs were
equipped with an MD-9 fire control system. This
was superseded by the ANIASG-15 fire control
system on the B-52Gs. With the B-52H came
the ANIASG-21 fire control system and its 20mm Gatling gun.
The capacious B-52 bomb bay is capable of
carrying a wide variety of conventional stores
including, cluster bombs, the Mk. 82 Snakeye
(high drag bombs), the Mk. 84 general purpose
bombs, fire bombs, mines, and M129E leaflet
dispensers. Up to 27 x 1,000-lb. bombs can be
carried internally. In addition, another 24 x 500
or 750 lb. bombs can be carried on the wingmounted heavy beam stores adaptors.
The B-52s also carried a variety of Ground
Attack Missiles (GAM), and Air-to-Ground Missiles (AGM), referred to as "stand-off' weapons. These included the GAM-77 andAGM-28B
Hound Dog missiles (operational 1961 -1976),
the AGM-69A Short-Range Attack Missile
(SRAM), (operational since 1972), the AGM89B/C Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) ,
(operational since 1982), and the AGM-84A
Harpoon (operational since 1985).
Special weapons (nuclear bombs) which the
B-52 can carry include the Mk. 28 family of 20+
megaton yield nuclear weapons, and the Mk. 41,
53, and 57 thermonuclear weapons.
Overall, B-52s are capable of carrying a combination of internal and external stores weighing up to 50,000 pounds.
The B-52 was originally designed as a highlevel strategic bomber. As the Soviet air defense
systems improved, the aircraft was modified to
carry a variety of ECM jamming equipment,
chaff, and the Aerial Decoy Missile (ADM) -20
Quail missile. The ADM-20s were carried in
the bomb bay and when launcheq could confuse,
dilute, saturate, or reduce the effectiveness of
enemy radar-controlled air defense and infrared
detection systems. The Quail was in service between 1960 and 1978. In 1965, theAN/ALE-25
pod was developed. Each pod contained 20 x
2.5" forward-firing, folding-fin rockets filled
with chaff. These close-range rockets were
launched to confuse the Soviet-made surface-toair-missiles (SAMs) encountered during the war
in Southeast Asia. By 1970, the AN/ALE-25
system was deleted from the B-52 inventory.
As the Soviet defenses improved over the
years, the B-52 mission profile was changed
from that of a high-altitude bomber to that of a
low-level penetrator. As systems improved and
the advanced capability radar (ACR) was incorporated, the aircraft were initially capable of flying at 500 feet. In 1973, the AN/ASQ-151
electro-optical viewing system (EVS) coupled
with the AN/ASQ-38 terrain avoidance radar
permitted the B-52s to fly at altitudes as low as
200 feet and at speeds approaching 400 knots.
The installation of a forward-looking infrared
(IFR) system permitted such operations at night
and in all types of weather. During these types
of operations, the radar navigator, backed up by
the navigator, guides the pilot through interphone
commands and the EVS display in the cockpit.
The copilot looks out the window as a safety
observer. The 2d Bombardment Wing B-52
crews trained in all phases of both high and low
altitude tactical operations.
The Wing has been equipped with B-52Fs,
Gs andHs.
2D BOMBARDMENT WING B-52
MARKINGS
The color schemes and markings on the B52s assigned to the Wing changed over time as
SAC changed its airplane finishes to meet the
needs of the day. The tall-tailed B-52Fs obtained
from the 4238th Bombardment Wing at
Barksdale in April 1963 were overall natural
metal, with white lower surfaces, for protection
against nuclear blasts, extending up the sides
along a wavy line above the main landing gear
doors. Subsequently the upper surfaces were
painted an overall silver with a 3M paint known
as Corogard for corrosion protection. The aircraft
carried the national insignia on both sides of the
waist and on top of the wing only. USAF was applied on the top right wing only. U.S. AIR FORCE
was applied on both sides of the forward fuselage. The tail number, an abbreviation of the serial number was applied on both sides of the vertical tail A short SAC Milky Way band extended
from the top of the white belly paint to the antiglare panel on the nose. A SAC insignia was ap365
plied to the left side of the nose centered on the
SAC band; whereas the 2d Bombardment Wing
insignia was centered on the SAC band on the right
side.
In June 1965, the 2d replaced its B-52Fs with
short-tailed B-52Gs. These aircraft were given
the SlOP (for Strategic Integrated Operating
Plan) marking scheme with white, anti-radiation,
lower surfaces and a patterned two-tone green
and tan upper surface scheme. The SAC band
was deleted and only the SAC insignia was carried on the left side of the nose and the 2d Bombardment Wing insignia was placed on the right
side of the nose.
During the early 1970s, the Wing's B-52s
were decorated with the Second Air Force insignia - a giant Flying 2 on both sides of the vertical tail when the Wing participated in the SAC
Bombing & Navigation Competitions and for
special events such as base open houses. The
color schemes change over time.
BOEING
KC-135
STRATOTANKER 6
The KC-97 refueling altitude was between
17,000 and 19,000 feet. The jet bombers B-47 or B-52 - had to descend from their optimum operating altitudes around 30,000 feet to
the KC-97 refueling altitude . Refueling took
place in a shallow formation dive with the two
planes connected via the refueling boom. As the
bomber became heavier with more fuel, it had
to fly faster to preclude going into a stall. The
tanker would accelerate as it descended to keep
from being undershot by the bomber. The refueling usually terminated at an altitude of about
12,000 feet. Then the bomber had to climb back
to its optimum cruise altitude. SAC's experience
with the performance mismatch between the piston-powered KC-97 Stratojreighter and the B47s and B-52s resulted in many nervous
refuelings, including some with mid-air contacts
which were not intended, i.e., undershoots with
the bomber tearing across the belly of the tanker,
pieces of one aircraft left imbedded in the other,
etc. As a consequence, in a private venture,
Boeing set out to develop ajet tanker which had
comparable performance to the jet bombers.
The first flight of the KC-135A was on August 31, 1956. The first production delivery to
the 93rd Bombardment Wing at Castle AFB,
California occurred on April 30, 1957. The 2d
Bomb Wing first took possession of KC-135s
through the move to Barksdale on April 1, 1963.
The normal crew of a KC-135 consists of the
aircraft commander, copilot, navigator, and
boom operator/loadmaster. For long flights the
crew may be augmented by a third pilot and a
second navigator. In addition, the crew chief and
two or three maintenance specialists will accompany the flight crew for a deployment.
There are no cabin windows on the KC -135s,
except for those in the two over-wing escape
hatches and the aft right waist. The large 72 x
144" cargo door is standard on all KC -135 series aircraft. Crew access is provided through a
forward entry hatch in which a crew entry ladder is hung. This hatchway also has a spoiler
which may be lowered for crew bailout - a sporty
proposition which has only rarely been used.
There is a high probability that a crewmember
bailing out of this hatch will bounce along the
366
bottom of the aircraft, sustaining severe or even
fatal injury.
The boom operator 's station is located within
a pod which is common to all of the KC -135s.
Either standard or high-speed ruddevators may
be installed on the KC-135 refueling boom. During operations in Southeast Asia, it was not uncommon for the tankers to literally drag a
crippled USAF fighter, with the standard USAF
boom/receptacle refueling system, back to a suitable air base where the tanker would release the
fighter at hi -station so that it could dead-stick to
a landing. A hose adaptor was installed on the
end of the flying boom to service TAC fighters
early in the Southeast Asian war, but was replaced by the SAC-standard boom/receptacle
system which was more efficient.
While the boom operator controls the operation of the refueling boom and the actual boom/
receptacle connection, the KC-135 pilots control the fuel transfer operation through use of
the fuel panel on the cockpit aisle stand. In addition to a broad yellow alignment stripe on the
belly of the tanker, a set of pilot director lights
are installed aft of the nose gear wheel well which
instruct the receiver pilot to move UP, DN, FWD,
AFT.
Initially, the power plant used on the KC135A was the J57 turbojet withll,200 Ibs of
static thrust (which could be increased to 13,750
Ibs with water injection). In the late 1970s, the
SAC KC-135A tanker fleet was retrofitted with
CMF56-2 high-bypass turbofan engines with
20,000 Ibs. of static thrust. This change increased
the fuel off-load capacity by 50%, and the aircraft maximun gross weight from 297,000 to
322,500Ibs. The TF33 turbofan engine, capable
of 18,000 Ibs of static thrust, is used on the KC135B.
The KC-135 serves the USAF as both a
tanker and a transport. To aid in transporting
engines and heavy cargo, a ball-mat roller pallet
was developed for the area of the main cargo
door, and a transportable lift was provided. The
latter hooks into an overhead traversing rail system. In addition, a hoist could be installed in the
cargo door area. This cargo system made the KC135 self-sufficient for cargo operations.
Several variants of the KC-135 were produced for other missions. One was an electronic
countermeasures aircraft, the EC-135C Looking Glass; three of which were operated by the
2d Bomb Wing during the 1970s.
2D BOMBARDMENT WING
MARKINGS
KC-135
When the 2d Bomb Wing inherited the KC135As from the 4238th Bombardment Wing in
April 1963, the aircraft were overall natural
metal. A SAC Milky Way band was placed either on the nose or waist - this was a period of
transition. The SAC insigina was applied to the
left side of the airplane centered on the SAC
band; whereas the 2d Bombardment Wing insignia was located on the right side. For special
events, these tankers carried the Second Air
Force's Flying 2 within a blue shield on the vertical tails during the early 1970s. The Flying 2
was smaller than those painted on the B-52s. As
with the bombers, the Second Air Force markings were usually applied only for the SAC
Bombing & Navigaion Competitions and base
open houses during this era.
Later, the airplanes were painted with an
overall silver 3M Corogard corrosion resistance
finish . Changes were made in these markings
over time.
In the first year of its long association with
the B-52 at Barksdale, the 2d Bomb Wing was
the recipient of three awards, improved the operational reliability of the Hound Dog missle,
supported major troop and aircraft deployments,
started airborne alert operations, and was the
unexpected host to two airline emergencies.
Among its awards and recognitions, the Wing
was awarded the 4th Air Division's Golden Journey Trophy for operational effectiveness during
most quarters of 1962 and for actions during the
Cuban Missile Crisis. The award became a permanent possession of the Wing.
During April and June 1963, the Wing scored
100% during a Bar None exercise which evaluated the mission effectiveness of each combatready B-52 crew and each airplane on a realistic
EWO training mission.
In September, the Wing was awarded the
Fairchild Trophy by the Air Force Association
at the Association's national convention in Washington DC. The trophy was awarded in recognition of the Wing's outstanding performance for
the year July 1, 1962 - June 30, 1963. The
Wing was judged to be the best bomber unit in
SAC for meeting its training requirements, flying safety record, fulfilling SAC operational
commitments, and higher headquarters inspection results. (See Appendix 5.)
GAM-77/AGM-28
HOUND DOGS
The GAM-77 Hound Dog missile (later
changed to Air-to Ground Missile [AGM-28])
was introduced into SAC in 1959. It was an airto-surface missile powered by a single 7,500-lb.
static thrust J52-6 turbojet and had a Mach 2.1
speed. The Hound Dog was equipped with an
inertial guidance system and nuclear warhead.
The warhead was a W.28, a variation of the Mk.
28 building block nuclear bomb with a I-megaton yield. When launched at high altitude it could
strike a :zet 500 nautical miles away; whereas
at low altitude its range was reduced to 200 nautical miles. One missile was slung from a pylon
on each wing of a B-52. A computer within the
B-52 provided targeting information prior to
launch. In addition, the missiles could be used
to augment thrust for high gross-weight takeoffs;
then the missile could be refueled from the
bomber's internal fuel system. The poor performance of the Hound Dogs
was a point of concern during a SAC Operational Readiness Inspection Test (ORIT) of
the Wing between June 5 and 7,1963 (a weapons system developmental problem throughout the command). In early July, the 2d Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was
given a marginal rating by a Second Air Force
Inspector General team. The 2d Bomb Wing
was equipped with Block II GAM-77s, which
were field modified and were not as reliable
as those which came new from the factory.
Revised operational procedures , enhanced
crew training, and reduced radar bomb scoring (RBS) missions all contributed to an improvement in Houn d Dog reliability from
72.4% in June to 90 % in July.
GROUND ALERT
The Wing had eight B-52Fs and eight KC135As on ground alert during the month of September. The aircraft were configured for the
Emergency War Order (EWO) mission; i.e. they
were armed, fueled, and with switches cocked
for rapid start. When the crew boarded the aircraft, all they had to do was throw the Master
Switch and all requisite electrical power was
provided to the various systems. In addition the
crews were briefed for specific targets within the
Soviet Union and carried mission orders and target information in their flight kits.
BOEING SKY SPEED OFFICES' 12
A toast to winning the Fairfield Trophy. L to R: Capt. Forest L. Nations, Capt. Norman Walsh, 1st Lt. Louis
Green, and Capt. James P. Pheney. All 20th Squadron. (Courtesy of Eighth Air Force Museum)
A Boeing Sky Speed office was located in
Hangar No. 1. This unit had been assigned at
Barksdale since October 18, 1958. The team
consisted of supervisors, quality control inspectors, engineers, tool control specialists, parts
control specialists, and modification and electronics technicians. The purpose of these offices
was to assist in installation of aircraft modifications and technical order (TO) compliance and
inspections of the B-52s and KC-135s.
On September 9, B-52F, sin 57-176, was on
a routine training mission. On approach into
Barksdale AFB the aircraft struck a bird which
resulted in a hole in the right wing. More than
24 hours was expended by maintenance personnel from the Wing with assistance from the
Boeing SKY SPEED shop to effect the repair on
a duct and ribs in the wing leading edge.
BOEING KC-135 TANKER-TRANSPORT
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT DRAWING
I
CO. PIlOT'S STATION
~TATION
2
INSnUCTOI!'S
3
• ..,OIQ.NA VIGATOR' S STATION
~
El KTItQNIC C .... ,NfT
}
... UXIIIAR 1 CREW SfAT
39
7
HING ED ENG INE COWL S
o
WING fRON T SPAR
9
w ... n t
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INJECT ION ", .. .. 010
800M ' UODE_VATORS
'0
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4,
H
ADJU S''' ! l! s u.a llI ZE~
STAB'tlZERJAn SCREW
UPP ER DEn TANK
MT P1!ESSUR E 'U\~HEAO
REfUElI NG &OOM
ENGINE SlEEO AIR MAN ifOlD
'3
H
II
ENGINE MOVNIING
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800M OPEU ,10R 'S SIAIION
11
FVH AIR STARTER _' ... N K
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13
I.
ENGI NE INIH NOSE ( OWl.
ENGI NE FU! l UNE
15
16
NO. ' RESER VE TA NK
ounOARD A1LfR QN
10
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OUTBOAR D SPOIH ~ S
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SPO'IER ACTUATOR
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ENG 'N ~ 011 TAN~
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60
61
lAVATORY
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SOUNDPROOFING AND ,NSULATIO N liNING
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b7
WING fl AP
FORWARD PRE SSURE BUI'''EAD
UDAl $(A "''''I R
W~ A I KU
This cutaway view of the KC-135A reveals its major components.
367
CHROME DOME OPERATIONS
Because of growing concerns about the ever
increasing Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities in 1958, SAC began a
B-52 continuous airborne alert program. The
alerts were maintained by various SAC wings
under a variety of names. These unpublicized
missions were flown without separate or specific
Congressional funding. Then, on January 18,
1961, CINCSAC, General Thomas S. Power
announced that SAC crews had flown over 6,000
airborne alert sorties. Several months later these
operations were christened CHROME DOME aptly named for the grueling 24-hour missions
during which crewman's flight helmets created
hot spots on the head. CHROME DOME operations underwent a number of changes during its
seven years of existence.
The 2d Wing's B-52 crews started participation in CHROME DOME operations November 16, 1963, and continued uninterrupted participation for approximately two years.
CHROME DOME missions were flown on
two basic routes - the southern route across
the Atlantic, on into the Mediterranean, where
refueling was conducted, and then return to
the U.S.; and the northern route, which went
up the eastern coast of Canada , then
westbound across Canada to about 84° north
latitude (with 90° being the geogaphic north
pole), to a point north of Alaska where the
route turned south, and continued down the
west coast of the United States. The Wing's
913th ARefS provided refueling support, as
part of the Spanish Tanker Task Force, for the
southern route operations of CHROME
DOME. The 913th deployed one KC-135A,
two flight crews , and three crew chiefs to
Spain on a rotational basis every two weeks.
During the July-September 1963 quarter, the
913th supported the Spanish Tanker Task
Force from Torrejon AB . Prior to July the
Squadron had flown from Moron AB, Spain.
Four major events occurred for the 2d Bomb
Wing during the latter part of 1963 - Operation BIG LIFT, Operation DIAMOND LIL, and
two commercial airliner emergencies.
Operation BIG LIFT was a major exercise
involving the deployment of an entire armored
division from the United States to Europe and
have them ready to participate in a major NATO
exercise within five days. This was the largest
transoceanic Army-Air Force deployment ever
made by air to date. MATS C-124s and C-135s
provided the airlift for the men and materiel. TAC
also deployed a composite strike force of U5
aircraft to provide reconnaissance and strike
cover for the NATO exercise. SAC provided 50
KC-135As which staged out of Dow and Loring
AFBs in Maine to refuel the TAC force. Between
October 20 and 25, a pair of 9 13th ARefS KC135s supported the deployment. Between November 4 and 9, one of the 913th ARefS's tankers supported the redeployment of the armored
division.
The 913th KC-135s also supported the deployment of TAC F-IOO Super Sabres. While
over the Atlantic, en route to Spain, one of the
F-lOOs experienced a problem with its cranked
refueling probe. The probe had rotated about 120°
out of position and would not take on fuel. The
tanker boom operator, MlSgt. Thomas A. Thomas, used his boom, with the drogue basket attached, as a wrench, and cranked the fighter's
refueling probe back into position allowing the
fighter to take on fuel. In the absence of this innovative solution on the part of M/Sgt. Thomas, the fighter, and possibly the pilot, would
have been lost. It was a first for this type of action. The crew was cited by command levels
from the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
down to the Second Air Force at Barksdale. In
addition to Thomas, the tanker crew consisted
In April 1964, this mission preflight was interrupted for some official business. LTC Thomas P. Conlin (R),
Aircraft Commander, reinlists his Gunner, TSgt. Roscoe D. Morgan (C), as MISgt. Paul Paliko (L),from another
crew, served as the witness. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
368
of Maj . Arthur B. Klein, aircraft commander,
1st Lt. William G. Davidson, copilot, and 1st Lt.
David Zehrung, navigator.9
Between November 12 and 15, a KC-135
from the 913th ARefS flew a classified mission
known as Operation DIAMOND LIL.
Two in-flight airline emergencies occurred
in the area of Barksdale AFB in late September
and early November requiring diversion of two
commercial airliners into the base. On September 29, a chartered American Flyer DC-3, carrying the McMurray College football team of
Abiline, Texas, made a wheels up landing at the
base. The team had been playing at Monroe,
Louisiana. On departure, the airplane failed to
gain altitude. Two unsuccessful landing attempts
were made at Monroe, including one which damaged the landing gear. After the airplane landed
at Barksdale, the base crash crew foamed the aircraft to prevent a fire. Aboard were 25 football
players and three coaches, all of whom got out
safely.
On November 9, an Eastern Air Lines DC-8
was climbing out of Houston, Texas en route to
Mexico City. At 20,000 feet the aircraft suddenly
went into a dive and lost 14,000 feet of altitude.
During the descent one of the aircraft's inboard
engines fell off and a number of passengers were
thrown about the cabin. Because of weather conditions, the DC-8 diverted to Barksdale where it
made a normal landing about 4:35 P.M. Base
emergency crash equipment and medical personnel were standing by. The 855th Medical Group
provided 10 doctors and 30 corpsmen, including x-ray technicians, who cared for 26 of the
passengers and crew. Three of those aboard the
aircraft were taken to a local hospital in Shreveport.
The Wing Public Information Office personnel established a media center at the Officers'
Club and fielded numerous calls from newspapers around the United States and as far away as
London and Mexico City. Personnel from this
office also assisted passengers in making long
distance telephone calls both from the club and
base operations. Major Eugene J. Kelly, Base
Public Information Officer, and his staff performed admirably in their support of the passengers and the media.
A replacement airliner picked up most of the
passengers and departed about 9:00 P.M. that
same day.
In addition to performing numerous routine
training exercises, the Wing continued its support of Operation CHROME DOME during
1964. In March, the 2d Armament & Electronics Maintenance Squadron out-performed 60
other similar units and was recognized as the
Outstanding Armament & Electronics Unit in
SACfor 1963.
OnAprilU, 1964, a KC-135 crew and maintenance personnel from the 913th ARefS departed on this 13-day mission to support the overseas deployment of TAC fighters known as Operation FOX ABLE. Maintaining the alert force,
performing Unit Simulated Combat Missions
(USCMs), flying missions directed by higher
headquarters (air di visions, numbered air forces,
and SAC), and going TDY for REFLEX opera-
tions took a significant amount of time and Wing
resources to accomplish. Finding available tankers to support major deployments from other
commands placed an added demand on the Wing;
therefore a number of wings would dispatch
single tankers to support these additional missions.
1965 11
Escalation of U.S. involvment in Vietnam
brought 2d Bomb Wing crews into the Southeast Asian War. On January 1, the 2d Combat
Support Group was reassigned from the 2d Bomb
Wing to the Second Air Force - something big
was about to happen. SAC went to war in Southeast Asia, and crews from the Wing would be
there. In the meantime, a Wing member was cited
for a life-saving.
Thursday January 15, 1965 was a non-flying
day for Maj . Arthur B. Klein, an instructor pilot
with the 913th ARefS, so he was at home offbase in Shreveport that afternoon. Two four-yearold boys had been playing in a neighbor's back
yard pool when one began to drown. The other
boy came running to his mother for help. She
saw Maj. Klein on the way to get to her son, he
having already told his wife to call the local
police. Maj. Klein then vaulted the fence into
the neighbor's yard with the pool, where he
found the drowning boy lying face down in the
water. Maj. Klein used a stick to push the victim
to the side of the pool where he was able to pull
the boy out of the water. Between 1956 and 1957,
Maj. Klein had been a survival instructor for
SAC where he learned about and taught mouthto-mouth resuscitation. He put his knowledge to
work and revived the child. For his efforts, Maj .
Klein was awarded a plaque from the Woodsmen of the World, a certificate from the Red
Cross, and the Air Force Commendation
Medal. 12. 16
Between January 1 and March 9, KC-135
crews from the 913th ARefS participated in the
REFLEX operations as part of the Spanish
Tanker Task Force.
On February 5, the 2d Bombardment Wing
was presented the SAC's Wing of the Year Flying Safety Trophy in recognition of its millionplus miles of accident-free flying in 1964. On
June 4, the wing was awarded the SAC Hall of
Fame certificate for seven consecutive years of
accident-free flying!! (See Appendix 5.)
the French. Some of the French troops who were
not killed, were taken captive and never heard
from again; while others escaped to fight during the Algerian Civil War. After the French defeat, a peace accord, the Geneva Agreements
signed in July 1954, provided for the withdrawal
of the French and Vietminh to either side of a
demarcation zone (DMZ) pending general unification elections, which were never held.
In September 1954, the Southeast Treaty
Organization, SEATO, was formed in Geneva,
Switzerland, to provide for the collective security of the non-communist part of the region and
to prevent it from becoming economically dependent upon the ever-expanding Communist
Bloc. From that time forward, Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy sent civilian advisors and,
later, military personnel to help train the South
Vietnamese army. The general poverty in the
region provided a golden opportunity for the
Soviet Union to continue in its role of global
expansion by playing on the disunity of the local
population. Guerilla warfare, insurgency, subversion, propaganda, and terror were the weapons of
the Soviet- supported Communists. In 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita I. Kruschev pronounced that
he "would bury the West." On January 6, 1961,
Kruschev spoke before the Communist Party Congress in Moscow where he reaffirmed his support
for wars of national liberation. Later that year at
meeting in the United Nations, Kruschev became
so enraged at allegations levied against him and
the Soviet Union, that he took off his shoe and
pounded it on the table!
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THE WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 13
Between 1946 and 1954, the French Foreign
Legion fought a joyless war against Ho Chi
Min's Communist Vietminh (Viet Cong) forces
in French Indochina. In 1950 President Truman
sent a 35-man military advisory group to aid
the French maintain their colonial power in Vietnam. The Communist Vietminh won the hearts
ofthe peasantry as they roamed the countryside
picking only those battles that they knew that
could win. Despite limited assistance from the
United States which also came to include loaned
aircraft and the use of American airmen flying
as civilians with the Civil Air Transport, the beleaguered French forces were unable to hold on.
The downfall of the French came with the fall
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At the behest of SEATO, the U.S. and other
Pacific rim nations began offering limited support to the anti-communist government of South
Vietnam. In 1960, the Communists formed the
National Liberation Front (NLF) in the South
and by the fall of 1961 , Communist NLF forces
were killing several hundred village leaders per
month in a war of terror and intimidation. President Kennedy ordered a limited number of
American military advisors to assist South Vietnam. Between 1961 and 1963, the number U.S.
military advisors rose from 2,000 to 15,000.
North Vietnamese torpedo boats reportedly attacked the American destroyers USS Maddox and
Turner Joy in Tonkin Gulf on August 2, apparently in response to U.S.-sponsored South Vietnamese raids along the North Vietnamese coast.
President Johnson ordered retaliatory air strikes,
and Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin resolution August 7 authorizing the President to take
necessary steps to "maintain peace."
In early 1965, U.S. planes began combat operations over South Vietnam. Tactical aircraft
from the South Vietnamese Air Force, South
Vietnam-based USAF, and carrier-borne USN/
USMC aircraft struck targets on February 7,
1965. In June 1965, the 23 ,000 U.S. military
advisors were committed to combat, and by
year's end over 184,000 U.S. troops were in the
area. On July 31,1966, B-52s bombed the DMZ,
supposedly because it was used by the North
Vietnamese for entry into the South. The U.S.
military commitment to the area steadily escalated with military aid and direct involvement
of U.S. Army, Navy, Marine and Air Forces. The
number of U.S. troops in South Vietnam reached
almost 525,000 in 1968.
2D BOMB WING CREWS ENTER THE
SOUTHEAST ASIAN WAR
On February 11, 1965, 15 B-52s from the
320th Bombardment Wing at Mather AFB, CA,
and the 2d Bomb Wing flew to Kadena AB ,
Okinawa. Within a few hours, 32 KC-135s 20 from Mather and 12 from Barksdale - were
also on their way to Kadena. This contingency
force was ready in case they were needed. Three
weeks went by while high level discussions were
held on how these assets were to be used.
SAC did not want the B-52s to be based in
South Vietnam thereby diluting its EWO alert
force. Pacific Air Force (PACAF) planners at
Hickam AFB, Hawaii, believed that the B-52s
should be used on targets over North Vietnam.
At a conference in Honolulu in April 1965, General William C. Westmoreland argued for the use
of B-52s against Viet Cong base camps in the
south. In May, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)
approved Gen. Westmoreland's request and authorized B-52 strikes on four target complexes
in the south - the Kontum Province in the U.S.
II Corps area; War Zone D, northeast of Saigon;
Military Region 5 Headquarters in the U.S. I
Corps area; and War Zone C northwest of Saigon
along the Cambodian border in the U.S. III Corps
area.
The precision bombardment capability developed by SAC bomber crews is predicated
on good radar film files . In Southeast Asia, there
were few man-made reference points and much
of the ground was covered by dense, multi-lay370
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AREAS OF PROLONGED CONFRONTATION
The Southeast Asia air campaign area was divided into the four target complexes shown on this map.
ered jungle. As an expedient, an Army helicopter called SKY SPOT, equipped with a small beacon, could be electronically interrogated by the
bomber crews to establish the required offsets
for precision bombing. Hopefully SKY SPOT
remained as the IP vs. becoming the target! Subsequently, SKY SPOT was replaced by a
ground-based beacon installed on a mountain
top. As the bomber crews gained experience and
the radar film files grew, they reverted to their
normal, on-board radar synchronous bombing.
The maximum bomb load on a B-52 of any
series was 51 x 750 lb. bombs, with 27 carried
internally and another 24 loaded on the two external wing pylons. During 1965, all available
B-52Ds were retrofitted under Project BIG
BELLY to carry clip-mounted bombs internally.
These clips increased the internal 500 lb. bomb
quantity from 27 to 84, or the 750 lb. bomb capacity from 27 to 41. As many as 108 x 500 lb.
bombs could be carried on these modified aircraft for a total load of 60,000 lbs. or 30 tons!
Not only did crews from the 2d Bomb Wing take
their own B-52Gs into combat, many of them
went to Castle AFB, California for transition
training into the B-52D and flew with other provisional wings in Southeast Asia.
While designed as a high altitude nuclear
bomber, the B-52's conventional capabilities
were formidible. The B-52 formations rained
iron bombs on suspected enemy targets, wreaking havoc on their fortifications built 10-15 feet
underground. Like a giant rototiller in the sky,
the B-52s carpeted the area with precision pattern bombing, thus destroying a number of enemy buildups and disrupting plans for major
ground assaults against allied forces . Unfortunately there was never any bomb damage
assesssments (BDAs) of these missions. It was
not realistic to expect definitive bomb damage
assessments of a stand of jungle. U.S. and South
Vietnamese Army reconnaissance of some of
these four target complexes did reveal the presence of dead North Vietnmese troops. A hint of
the B-52 bombing effectivenes can be found in
a Rand Corporation report which stated: "Fear
of B-52 attack seems to be widespread and not
confined only to the areas that have experienced
them. The B-52s were described as being the
most devastating and frightening weapon used
so far against the Viet Cong and were said to
have great effect on Viet Cong morale." l4 It was
not unusual for field commanders to request B52 strikes to support their troops; however, these
commanders obviously had no idea of the planning and logistics necessary to mount such a
strike as opposed to having orbiting tactical fighters in the area which could provide air support
on a moment's notice. (See Appendix 23 for
Wing deployments to Southeast Asia.)
AERIAL REFUELING PLANNING FOR
THE WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
On January 28, 1965 Maj. Klein was TOY
to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, as part of a team being
2d Wing personnel are being processedfor deployment to Southeast Asia. (Courtesy of the United States Air
Force)
briefed on the refueling requirements of the 2d
Bomb Wing. He was accompanied by Maj.
Roscoe E. Sprinkel and Capt. Owen L.
Greenblat. Suddenly the plans changed and the
team was told to return immediately to
Barksdale. The commercial flight on a Pan
American 707 jetliner from Honolulu to Travis
AFB , California was uneventful. Three military
dependents were bumped to make room for the
trio. The three officers took a cab from Travis
AFB to San Francisco International Airport.
When they attempted to present their military
tickets to American Airlines, they were denied
boarding. The trio spent the night in a local motel and flew back the next day. They arrived at
Barksdale to see the last few planes leaving. A
war had started and they were not invited! After
a bit of negotiating, Maj. Klein was finally sent
to Kadena AB, Okinawa to rejoin the unit. Together they would be part of a new program
called Operation YOUNG TIGER (tanker operations in Southeast Asia).ls
SAC had developed a massive aerial refueling plan for the war in Southeast Asia, codenamed Operation YOUNG TIGER. KC-135
crews and tankers were deployed from SAC
bases within the United States to bases in the
Pacific under control of the Pacific Air Forces
(PACAF). The tanker units used the resources
of the PACAF bases, however, they remained
under operational management of SAC. TDY
periods normally ranged between 73 and 77 days.
Three to six tanker crews from the 2d Bomb
Wing joined similar numbers from other SAC
units to form the provisional tanker wings in
Southeast Asia.
Between 1964 and 1968, Operation YOUNG
TIGER missions were flown from the following forward operating locations, each with its
own unique code name:
AndersenAFB , Guam - Hq. 3dAir Division (Typhoon Evacuation Base); Strip
Alert Tankers (fully loaded tankers with
alert crews that could scramble within
minutes to meet urgent refueling needs).
Clark AB, Philippine Islands - YANKEE
TEAM; FOREIGN LEGION; Typhoon
Evacuation base
Kadena AB, Okinawa - 4252d Strategic
Wing; ARC LIGHT and YOUNG TIGER
• Don Mung International Airport, Thailand - TIGER CUB
• TakhliAB, Thailand - Det. 1, 4252d Strategic Wing; KING COBRA
• U-TapaoAB, Thailand - 4258th Strategic
Wing; GIANT COBRA
• Ching Chuan AB, Taiwan - 4220th Air
Refueling Squadron
YOUNG TIGER TANKER TACTICS 16
Many support personnel deployed to Southeast Asia by commercial airliners. Such deployment separations
were hard on dependent families. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
Maj. Klein remained behind at Kadena AB,
Okinawa with the 916thARefS when the bomber
force from the 2d returned to Barksdale from
Andersen AFB, Guam. He put his training as an
instructor tanker aircraft commander to use in
developing new air refueling tactics for the
YOUNG TIGER team. He had over 4,000 hours
of tanker experience which he gained in the 2d
Air Refueling Squadron flying KC-97s and KC135s.
371
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During the war in Southeast Asia, the Young Tiger refueling operations were flown from these bases.
briefed for three sequential mission sorties .
In the event a crew could not get an aircraft
moving, it was shut down, the crew was met
by a station wagon from Operations, and was
taken to another tanker. The next crew flew
the aborted sortie, and the aborting crew took
the following sortie. As a result of this planning, the YOUNG TIGER tanker crews never
missed making a scheduled sortie throughout
the war.
TYPHOON ALERTS
On June 18, 1965, the first ARC LIGHT mission was launched from Andersen AFB using
B-52s from the 7th and 320th Bombardment
Wings. Two B-52s were lost in a mid-air collision prior to refueling while en route to the target. No 2d Wing aircraft were involved in this
accident.
The next strike was launched on July 3. Maj.
Klein was the airborne tanker task force leader
on this mission. The B-52s took off from
Andersen AFB, Guam and were met by tankers
from KadenaAB. As a result ofthe June 18 midair collision, higher headquarters staff officers
took a keen interest in the briefings for this mission. The tanker crews were briefed by one of
these staff colonels. The plan called for the tankers to refuel and then climb to their assigned altitudes of 40,000-to-42,000, feet, proceed to the
372
end of the refueling track, then retrace their track
at the same altitudes. Junior tanker officers argued against these tactics, stating that the procedure placed the returning tankers at the same altitudes as those in the next wave, but were overruled.
When airborne, Maj. Klein broke radio silence and rebriefed the tanker crews to maintain
lower altitudes on the outbound track, then climb
and turn 180 and fly back at their higher assigned altitudes to avoid potential mid-air collisions.
During the mission debriefing, Maj. Klein
explained his rationale for changing the mission
plan. His concept was accepted by his superiors
and became part of the future YOUNG TIGER
refueling operational doctrine.
Tanker crews on YOUNG TIGER were
0
Typhoons in the Pacific can be devastating
to aircraft on the ground. On several occasions,
the YOUNG TIGER KC-135s had to be flown
out of Kadena AB to Clark AB in the Philippines. When this happened, tanker operations
were flown out of Clark instead, without interrupting the bombing schedules.
On one occasion, Maj . Klein directed the
departure of all of the tankers from Kadena.
He took the last KC-135 which had 24 red
line maintenance items (uncorrected malfunctions) in its log book. One engine instrument
in each vertical row was inoperative for all
four engines, so the crew merely cross checked the instruments and accepted the fact
that each of the parameters for all four engines was in sync. The cabin pressurization
system was inoperative and only hot engine
bleed air'could be provided to the cabin. As a
result, the crew flew unpressurized at 10,000
feet. The cockpit was so hot that they stripped
down to their underwear. The center fuel tank
fuel gauge was inoperative, so they used fuel
from the tank until the engine low fuel pressure lights came on, then switched the fuel
feed to "direct tank-to-engine," thereby utilizing the wing tanks . It was this type of ingenuity which allowed the YOUNG TIGER
team to excel in its mission throughout the
war.
On February 7, 1965 the Wing began preparations to deploy to Southeast Asia for Operation ARC LIGHT. ARC LIGHT was the code
name for overall B-52 operations in Southeast
Asia from bases at Utapao, and Andersen AFB,
Guam. The B-52 and KC-135 crews were ready
on the 9th and began deploying on the 11th. The
Wing deployed a force of 15 B-52s from the 20th
Bomb Squadron to Andersen AFB and 12 KC135s to KadenaAB. While high level staff planning was going on regarding the proper employment of the B-52s, the EWO alert mission was
being compromised and SAC ordered some of
the aircraft and crews rotated back to their stateside bases. The Wing's crews redeployed to
BarksdaleAFB, with the last B-52 and last KC135 arriving on May 20, and May 9, 1965, respectively. The first B-52 strike occurred on June
18, 1965, after the return of the Wing's aircraft
and crews.
The day after the last bomber arrived at
Barksdale, the Wing participated in a joint
training exercise with Strategic Air Command
and the North American Air Defense Command.
During June 1965, SAC realigned its assets
and the Wing lost its B-52Fs and the 20th Bomb
Squadron to the 7th Bombardment Wing at
Carswell AFB, Texas, between June 15 and 20.
The 62nd Bomb Squadron, equipped with B52Gs, was reassigned from the 39th Bombardment Wing at Eglin AFB to the 2d Wing. Lt. Col.
Eugene A. Filpowicz, 62nd Bomb Squadron
commander, flew the first B-52G into Barksdale
on June 20.
The 2d Bomb Wing was reassigned from the
19th Air Division to the 42dAir Division on July
1, 1965. This move completed the the loss of all
of the original 2d Bombardment Wing squadrons-the 11th in the 1930s, and the 20th, 49th
and 96th in the 1960s. It would be over 15 years
before a return of the original squadrons would
be accomplished.
Alert standy, alert operations, and alert exercises and readiness tests and inspections were
vertually a continuous part of an operational unit
airman's life during the Cold War. These were
extremely grueling years of air operations that
went on largely out of sight and out of the
public's conscience. Aircrews literally lived together for a week at a time. They traveled to
medical/dental appointments, made trips to the
BX, and had meals at the Officers' Club, always together. Alert operations were akin to
wartime operations at a deployed overseas base,
and were especially stressful to the crews and
their families. The crews were located on base
in an isolated, chain link fence-surrounded alert
facility. Families could not visit. Life was either monotonous or filled with blood chilling
stress. This was all part of the Cold War scenario. In a show of appreciation, the citizens of
Bossier City and Shreveport presented an outdoor family pavilion for the Wing's alert crews
and their families .
1966 17
The Wing had an eventful 1966. There
were some organizational changes, an ORIT,
a continuation of CHROME DOME operations, recognition for combat operations, a
major aircraft accident, and an additional
mission.
The Wing was given an Operational In-
DIAGRAM I
PARCEL POST REFUELING AREA
ARCP
Bill
ARIP
(\-.hi te )
l~orman
(Green
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Claude
(Red)
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Male names: Tanker cell
Colors: Bomber cell
NM: Nautical miles
ARIP:
ARCP:
~
Air Refueling Initial Point
Air Refueling Control Point
The original refueling tracks caused conflicting air traffic, resulting in a mid-air collision and the loss of a B52. Maj. Arthur Klein made an in-flight change in the refueling pattern on the next mission. His procedure was
adopted for future refueling operations.
spection Readiness Test (ORIT) by an Inspector General team from the Fifteenth Air Force
on January 17. The Wing passed the ORIT.
Starting on February 2, the Wing began another 90-day tour of Operation CHROME
DOME tanker deployments.
The 2d Combat Support Group was reassigned from Headquarters Second Air Force to
the Wing on March 30.
On April 24, Barksdale threw another of its
annual Holiday in Dixie open houses. One B52G and one KC-135A were on display for the
public. An estimated crowd of 150,000 attended
the event.
On May 27, 56 crewmen from the 913th
ARefS received Air Medals for their participation in Operation ARC LIGHT.
B-52
CREW LOST 18
Capt. Curtis E. Robertson and his crew in
a B-52G from the 62d Bomb Squadron were
on a training mission near Stone Lake, Wisconsin, about 60 miles southeast of Duluth,
Minnesota on November 18, 1966. Shortly
after taking on fuel from a KC-135, the plane
crashed into a densely wooded area at 6:35
P.M. The ambient temperatures on the ground
were near 0° Fahrenheit. The aircraft
slammed into a hillside and burned, killing
the entire crew of eight. Besides Capt.
Robertson, the crew was 1st Lt. Darrick R.
Negron, copilot; Capt. Edward E. Kamph,
radar navigator; 1st Lt. Jerome P. Callegari
Jr., navigator; Capt. Michael J. Dunlap, electronic warfare officer; Alc Gerald D. Turney,
gunner; Lt. Col. Jack Atherton, instructor pilot; Maj. James H. Crook, instructor navigator; and M/Sgt. Lonnie B. Woodward, electronic maintenance.
The accident investigation board was headed
by Lt. Col. Fred Sherman, Vice Commander of
the 410th Bombardment Wing from K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan. The cause of the crash was
not made public.
POST-ATTACK COMMAND AND
CONTROL SYSTEM (PACCS)
After the Cold War entered the missile era
the United States was only 30 minutes away from
a Soviet nuclear intercontinenal ballistic missile
(ICBM) attack. It was logical that the Soviet targets would include America's retaliatory capability - its strategic missile complexes and strategic bomber bases, and command and control
centers - among its highest target priorities. As
a result of this threat, SAC developed an airborne
command post system called the Post-Attack
Command and Control System (PACCS) in
which an airborne EC-135C could stand in for
the SAC command post and missile launch sites
in the event they were disabled during a missile
attack. In such an event, the PACCS aircraft
could control missile launches from the air. These
aircraft always carried a general officer and a
lO-man battle staff on operational sorties. During the missile era of the Cold War, one of these
aircraft was airborne 24-hours a day, every day
of the year.
A total of 14 KC-135B aircraft powered by
18,000-lb. static thrust TF33 turbofan engines,
were delivered to SAC in October 1964. For security reasons, these aircraft carried the designation ofKC-135Bs at the time of delivery. Subsequently they were redesignated as EC-135C
Looking Glass.
The EC- 135Cs are equipped with both the
boom for refueling, and a refueling receiver system. Crews of Looking Glass airplanes had to
be well versed in both transferring fuel to another aircraft, and receiving fuel from another
tanker. Night refueling was particularly challenging.
2nd Wing PACCS EC-135Cs were operational between April 1, 1966 and April 1, 1970
in support of Second Air Force. Subsequently,
operations were consolidated and these aircraft
were sent to other SAC bases.
Col. Arthur W. Holderness, Jr. commanded
the Wing between December 19, 1966 and Oc373
tober 13, 1967. He retired as a brigadier general
(see Appendix 6).
During 1967, the Wing continued to support
the war effort in Southeast Asia, maintained its
SAC EWO alert mission, and participated in a
number of training exercises, including:
•
•
Exercise GREAT EFFORT-a simulated
disaster control exercise at Barksdale on
January 6 designed to test the unit's capabilities to cope with an attack by an
aggressor using a nuclear weapon;
Exercise TOP RUNG-a joint SACI
NORAD mission flown on February 10
with four B-52s and one KC-135. It was
designed to test NORAD's air defense
system. (NORAD is the acronym for
North American Air Defense Command);
and
Exercise BUCKSKIN RIDER-designed
to test the Wing's capabilities to conduct
its primary mission under radiological
fallout conditions resulting from a near
miss and covert nuclear attacks. It was
conducted on November 17.
On January 19, the 913th ARefS dispatched
another KC-135A and crew for a 59-day TDY
to Operation YOUNG TIGER.
History repeated itself for the Wing when a
KC-135Jfom the 913th was supporting a TAC
F-100 Sut;.er Sabre deployment to Southeast Asia
on Febniary 12, 1967. The fighter had a cranked
refueling probe on its right wing. Refueling was
accomplished with the drogue which can be attached to the end of the standard refueling boom.
The tanker's astute boom operator, T/Sgt. Isas
G. Arriaga, noticed that the fighter's refueling
boom had rotated out of position and was incapable of taking in fuel. Faced with the possibility of going into the ocean, the fighter pilot followed Arriaga's instructions, who coaxed him
into position. Then, using the boom and drogue
like a huge wrench, Arriaga swung the errant
refueling boom into its proper position thus allowing the fighter to take on fuel. The 913th
ARefS was cited for this action by Col. Douglas
M. Conlan, Task Force Commander; Col. Warren R. Lewis, 31st Tactical Fighter Wing Commander; and Maj. Gen. Alvin C. Gillean, II,
Deputy Chief of Staff SAC. The citation, in part,
stated: " .. .the mission ... was flown , as briefed,
with all aircraft arriving safely at destination
without incident. The unusually fine success of
this deployment is attributed in great measure to
the outstanding performance of crew E-132." In
addition to T/Sgt. Arriaga, the tanker crew included Maj. Donald L. Kipe, aircraft commander,
Capt. Ernest L. Young III, copilot, and 1st Lt.
Frederick W. Diehl, navigator.
On March 19, another 913th ARefS tanker
crew was dispatched to Southeast Asia for a 63day tour with the YOUNG TIGER team.
On March 20, a tanker crew under the command of Maj. Robert W. Utterback, from the
913th, was cited for saving an F-4C Phantom
over the Western Pacific. The F-4C had declared
an emergency when it was down to 300 Ibs. of
fuel remaining. The tanker crew, which had been
374
This photo shows F-l ODDs, with their cranked refueling probes, being refueled. They are similar to the one from
the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing on which TISgt. lsas Arraga, of the 913thArefS, used his boom with the refueling
drogue to rotate the errant refueling probe back into position so the fighter could take on badly needed fuel.
(Courtesy of Norman Taylor)
orbiting the refueling area, received the call, and
moved in for the save. The rescuers, crew R117, were Maj. Robert W. Utterback, commander; 1st Lt. J. D. Hauger, copilot; Capt. W.
G. Davison, navigator; and A1C D. L. Grice,
boom operator.
The 913th ARefS had the privilege of giving
tanker support for the USAF Thunderbirds, the
USAF precision flying demonstration team, on
April 24.
By the end of September the Wing had 20
combat-ready bomber crews, 26 combat-ready
tanker crews, 17 B-52Gs, 16 KC-135As, 3 EC135Cs and 33 AGM-28 Hound Dogs.
Col. Edmund A. Rafalko assumed command
of the Wing on October 13, 1967, and departed
on November 12, 1968 when he became commander of the 425th Bombardment Wing (Provisional) at U-Tapao, Thailand. Col. Rafalko had
been an aircraft commander of a select crew in
96th Bomb Squadron when they were flying B50As. He commanded the 2d ARefS between
November 1954 and May 1956 .. He retired from
the Air Force a a major general (see Appendix 6).
1968 20
The war in Southeast Asia continued to
spread and intensify. By December 1967,
475,000 U.S. troops were in South Vietnam, and
all of North Vietnam was subject to bombing.
Protests against the war mounted in the U.S. The
intelligence ship USS Pueblo, and its 83-man
crew were siezed in the Sea of Japan on January
23,1 968 by the North Koreans. Eighty two crew
members were released December 22. Some
glimmer of hope for ending the war emerged
when peace talks started in Paris on May 10.
President Johnson curbed bombing of North
Vietnam on March 31 to support the peace process. All bombing of the North was halted by
President Johnson on October 31,21
On January 2, the 913th ARefS deployed its
first crews of the year in support of Operation
YOUNG TIGER.
Starting in October 1966, the North Korean
government infiltrated numerous agents into
South Korea, provoking firefights along the
demarkation zone. When the USS Pueblo was
seized by the North Koreans, YOUNG TIGER
tankers provided support to the tactical fighters
employed in the attempted rescue operation. The
2d Bomb Wing also dispatched personnel to
Osan AB, South Korea to support the mission.
The personnel from the 2d were eligible for the
Korea Campaign Ribbon (October 1, 1966-June
30, 1974).
The 2d again became a SAC Super Wing on
April 15, 1968 when it gained a second B-52
squadron - the 596th Bomb Squadron - and another KC-135 squadron - the 71stARefS. By becoming a Super Wing with four operational
squadrons, the 2d was capable of doing its SAC
EWO mission, performing higher headquarters directed missions, and supporting the war in
Southeast Asia.
The emblem for the 2d Bombardment Wing,
which had been in existence since 1951, was
modified on April 25,1 968. The 1951 emblem
included the shield dating from April 15, 1940,
replete with all of its pointed scroll work. Experience had shown that these corners were not conducive to jet operations because the slip stream
peeled them up. The insignia was modified to
be the shape of the USAF standard for emblems
with a flat top, beveled top corners, and compound curves on the bottom which ended in a
single point at the base. The redesigned insignia retained the words LIBERTATEM
DEFEND/MUS in the scroll at the bottom of the
emblem.
The Wing participated in a number of exercises during the year including:
Exercise BUY NONE designed to assess the
Wing's capability to strike unfamiliar targets,
which was flown on March 3.
Exercise TOP RUNG, ajoint SACINORAD
operation in which the Wing provided four B52s that penetrated the Eastern NORAD Region
after exercising a Minimum Interval Take Off
(MITO). MITO operations were required by
SAC to assure getting the largest number of aircraft off the ground in the briefest period. In case
of a Soviet missile attack, the warning time could
be as little as 30 minutes. This exercise was flown
on August 9.
Dispersals were flown to Sheppard AFB,
Texas on September 7 with one B-52 and one
KC-135; and another on September 11 to Forbes
AFB, Kansas with a KC-135.
Expanded Vietnam peace talks started on
January 18, 1969, and U.S. forces in Vietnam
peaked at 534,000 in April. Troop withdrawals
started on July 8 and continued under President
Nixon's policy of Vietnamizing the war. Antiwar demonstrations peaked in the U.S., and
250,000 protesters marched on Washington, DC
on November 15. 23
The Wing continued to support the war effort in Southeast Asia aild participated in a number of exercises including:
A dispersal exercise to Eglin AFB, Florida,
was flown on June 6. The purpose of these dispersal exercises was to assure safety of our
nuclear retaliatory force in the event of a preemptive strike by the Soviet Union.
Exercise TOP RUNG was another SACI
NORAD penetration exercise which was conducted over the western United States and
Canada on June 12.
Exercise BUY NONE was a SAC-generated
operational readinesS mission in which the Wing
garnered an outstanding rating in three of the
four rated areas. This exercise was flown on
November 14.
Exercise BUCKSKIN RIDER was an exercise conducted by the 19th Air Division to test
the 2d 's capabilities for continued operation after sustaining a nuclear attack. The Wing scored
a good rating in this exercise, conducted on December 12.
The Wing received a satisfactory rating on a
no-notice ORIT which was conducted by Headquarters Eighth Air Force on February 27. The
Combat Evaluation Group (CEG) conducted
another no-notice ORIT on May 19, when the
Wing also received a satisfactory rating.
MATS had a no-notice program of its own in
which it evaluated various USAF bases for their
transient maintenance capabilities. As a result
of one of these pop-in visits, the Wing received
the MATS Rex Riley Award on September 1.
Wing B-52 crews were deployed to Southeast Asia to support Operation ARC LIGHT
while the KC-135s participated in Operation
YOUNG TIGER missions throughout the year.
197024
During 1970, the Wing continued to support
the war effort in Southeast Asia, and participated
in several exercises and the RAF Bombing Competition.
The Wing participated in five joint SACI
NORAD air defense penetration exercises. Exercise SNOW TIME was flown on February 10,
May 12, August 4, and December 1,1970; while
Exercise MUTE BAR was flown on March 3
and August 25. In addition, the Wing participated
in at least four other exercises.
On May 8, 1970, four B-52 crews from the
2d, 3 10th, 320th, and 379th Bombardment Wings
represented SAC at the RAF Bombing Competition. These wings were chosen for the mission
based on their standings in the 1969 SAC Annual Bombing and Navigation Competition.
While the other three wings took the Blue Steel
Trophy for the best combined score in bombing
and navigation, the 2d performed best overall,
second in bombing, and fourth in navigation.
A phased-outB-47 was flown into BarksdaJeAFB
on June 3, to become part of the base museum.
During 1971, the Wing continued to support
the war effort in Southeast Asia by deploying
both B-52s and KC-135s, with crews, on a rotational basis.
The 2d was awarded the coveted Golden
Bomber award for its outstanding evaluation results in 1970. The award was given for outstanding operational capabilities and performance.
With the realignments of numbered air forces
within SAC, the Eighth Air Force headquarters
at Westover AFB, Massachusetts was · moved to
Anderson AFB , Guam. Northeast Air Command
(NEAC) was disbanded and its C - 1l8
Liftmasters were dispersed into the USAF inventory as staff transports. On February 15,1971 ,
the Wing gained the first of its three aircraft of
this type. The C-118 was an unusual aircraft in
the SAC inventory.
The C-118 , (equivalent to the commercial
DC-6 commercial airliner) was a follow-on to
the C-54 (DC-4) Skymaster. The aircraft were
powered by four 2,500 R-2800-52 engines, had
a gross weight of 107,000 Ibs., and cruised at
307 mph .. It had a wing span of 117' 6" and was
106' 10" long.
During 1971, the Wing inventory included
B-52G, KC-135A, C-118, T-29 and T-39 aircraft.
competition. Commanders at all levels took exceptional interest in the results because they were
indirectly reflective of their leadership. Winning
a competition gave a tremendous boost in morale and the trophies were tangible symbols of
the best of the best.
The best crews from each wing competed for
the Fairchild Trophy - the top prize. This trophy was awarded to the crew with the best combined scores for all three missions. Neither the
FB-lll A nor the Vulcan crews were eligible for
the Fairchild Trophy because they were not
paired with KC-135s. The Saunders Trophy was
awarded to the top KC-135 tanker crew. During
the 1971 Bomb Competition, the Mathis Trophy,
sponsored by the Air Force Association was
awarded for the first time. Lastly, a Bombing
Trophy and a Navigation Trophy was awarded
to the winning crews.
Crew E-62, under the command of Capt.
Leroy Schroeder, from the 2d Bomb Wing 596th
Bomb Squadron was featured in the March 1971
edition of the AIRMAN magazine about the life
of a Bomb Comp crew. Like every other Bomb
Competition crew, the crew from the 2d Bomb
Wing expected to win the competition; however, the odds were 21-to-1.
Crew E-62, consisted of the following personnel:
TYPICAL SAC BOMB COMPETITION
CREW26
Giant Voice was the name given to the SAC
Annual Bombing and Navigation Competition.
The 1971 Bomb Competition involved 23 B-52
and 28 KC-135 crews who were tops in each of
their respective wings. While the tanker crews
flew out of their home bases, the bomber crews
convened at McCoy AFB. Each bomber crew
flew a high altitude, long-range navigation mission from its home station to McCoy. Three Avro
B.I Vulcan bomber crews from the RAF also
competed for the first time in this SAC marathon. In another first, crews in the two-place,
swing-wing FB - I11AAardvark made their debut at these competitions.
The SAC Bombing & Navigation Competitions were not like some sporting event. They
were serious tests of crew professionalism and
were indicative of military preparedness. Crews
worked hard and diligently to qualify for the
•
Capt. Leroy B. Schroeder, aircraft commander, was a 1965 Air Force Academy
graduate who had flown 114 combat missions in Southeast Asia in C-130 Hercules. He became an instructor copilot on
the 2d Bombardment Wing's Chief Standardization Crew before becoming a combat-ready B-52 aircraft commander.
1st Lt. Donald L. Ringer, copilot, was the
youngest member of the crew. He was a
1968 USAF pilot school graduate, took
combat crew training with the 93d Bombardment Wing at Castle AFB, and joined
the 2d Bomb Wing in March 1970. His
being placed on this crew was a testament
to his abilities.
Capt. Jerry L. Partridge, radar navigator,
was an instructor radar navigator and had
served two ARC LIGHT tours in Southeast Asia, accruing 102 combat missions.
Capt. Charles D. Martin, navigator, joined
the Air Force in 1964 and served on one
ARC LIGHT tour where he logged 79
combat missions .
Capt. Richard S. Watt, electronic warfare
officer (EWO), was considered to be an
old veteran, having joined the USAF in
1963. He had flown 81 combat missions
in Southeast Asia.
TSgt. Louis G. Virden, gunner, was a 16year USAF veteran who had cross-trained
from his former specialty as an aircraft
electrician to a B-52 gunner. He had
logged 81 ARC LIGHT missions.
T/Sgt. Virden was anxious to win the
Fairchild Trophy on this mission. If they did,
both he and the crew chief would be awarded
another stripe. The crew was all pulling for them.
This was the first mission in the competition
which called for the crew to fly a specific mission profile and land at McCoy AFB, Florida.
375
The crew started off its day preflighting their
tried and true B-52G in which they knew every
characteristic. However, it was broken! They
took a backup aircraft, B-52G-120-BW sin 592593, about whose characteristics they knew
nothing. The crew arrived at McCoy after placing sixth in the navigation mission - not bad, and
the 2d Bomb Wing was still a contender.
On day two, the mission included a low-altitude run at approximately 1,000 feet, and two
high altitude, 28,000-33,000 feet, bomb runs. A
drawing was made for the takeoff schedules.
Capt. Partridge explained that this can be critical, because if the airplane arrives over the target when the sun is at its zenith, one cannot get a
good navigational fix. Early morning or late
evening is the best time when the sun angles are
more measurable.
For evauation, the crew of a B-52 is divided
into three elements:
•
Command and Control Element - the pilots
Offensive Element - navigator and radar
navigator
Defensive Element - electronic warfare
and gunner
Two crewmembers whose duties are not directly
required for the competition are the gunner and EWO.
However, they do not sit idly by. During the Bomb
Competition the gunner backs up the navigator and
radar navigator on timing - an all too critical element to successful bombing. The EWO backs up the
radar navigator because of the similarity in their training and normal crew duties.
An interesting side light was pointed out by
TSgt. Virden. During the war in Southeast Asia,
the U.S. had control of the air and the gunners
acted like airborne controllers for the B-52s behind them in the cell, and as an onboard radar/
navigation equipment maintenance technician.
Sgt. Virden recalled one raid over Vietnam, when
a trailing B-52 lost its bombing radar and he used
his gun-laying radar to guide the bomber, and
tell the crew when to release its bombs.
At 6:40 A.M., the crews assembled for the second-day's mission briefing. The pressure was on!
The lights dimmed and the projection screen was
filled with a myriad of maps, charts, and other
salient data accompanied by the briefing. The
briefers sounded much like college professors just
before finals. The weather looked good with light
clouds for the low-level bomb run and clear and
unlimited visibility for the high altitude runs.
The crews piled into busses and headed out
for their aircraft. The flightline was bustling with
activity as the maintenance crews worked on lastminute problems with their aircraft. Vehicles of
all sorts were moving about; including those with
nervous wing commanders giving last minute
words of encouragement to their crews. A lot
was at stake for the crews and the wings.
The relative silence was shattered at 10-minute
intervals as the competing aircraft launched into
the Florida skies. The 2d Bomb Wing crew was
scheduled to launch at 9:30 A.M. and land at 2:30
P.M. They arrived at their aircraft a full two hours
prior to launch to preflight their charge. After triple
checking everything, the crew emerged to watch
the other aircraft depart.
Two individuals approached the crew - Gen.
376
Bruce K. Holloway, Commander-in-Chief of
SAC, and Brig. Gen. Woodrow A. Abbot, 823d
Air Division Commander and host of the Bomb
Competition. The generals greeted the crew and
wished them well before shaking hands with each
member of the ground crew.
The crew took off at 9:30 A.M. as scheduled.
Their route took them north to Montgomery,
Alabama, over central Louisiana, along the Texas
border, north to Arkansas and Tennessee, southeast to Alabama, and back to McCoy. The B-52
approached the IP for the first bomb run. Capt.
Partridge began his final computer update.
"NAV, RADAR, the cross hairs are tracking
the FGPI, the counters are good and destination,
# 1 is set to target F coordinates."
"Roger, RADAR, target F coordinates are
cross-checked, and the before IP checklist is
complete."
"CREW, RADAR. We're approaching the
timing initiation point. Standby for the Tl hack.
On no! Take a look, NAV, we won't be rolled
out in time to get a good timing run!"
"CREW, NAV, we're IPinbound at this time."
"NAV, RADAR, target acquisition now, selecting offset number one .. .it checks going to
offset number two. Looks good! PILOT, check
your bomb released light to be out."
"It is out, RADAR."
"Roger, PILOT, I am in bomb function at this
time. Center the FCI and keep it centered. Ready
for the bomb run checklist, NAY."
After bombs away on target F, target G was
easily acquired and a smooth bomb run was in
progress . Then there was an aircraft system error combined with a preflight planning error,
resulting in the B-52 being a half mile to the right
of its required track. The pilot tried to compensate with a tight turn and rolled out for bombs
away. They were only half through - the highaltitude run was to follow.
For the third bomb run, 14 farm grain bins
had been selected as the offset aiming point, but
they did not appear for the crew. Fortunately,
careful mission planning had permitted use of
three offsets instead of only two. Number 1 was
too large and too far away to be of use, so Capt.
Partridge selected Number 3, a small group of
farm buildings. There was 40 seconds to go before bomb release, so the crew used the farm
buildings for the offset aiming point.
The crew had one more high level bomb run
to complete. It went well, although it too was
accomplished a bit too quickly.
In wartime, the crew would have successfully
performed its mission; however in this tight competition between the best crews from each wing,
things were different. The crew from the 2d
Bomb Wing came in 14th. While they did not
take home any trophies, they did go home with
the words of Lt. Gen. Glen O. Martin, Vice
CINSAC, when he opened the competition:
"Every man here has been chosen from
among the finest professionals to compete
this year. It is a tribute to each of you as a
member of a team and as individuals ...you
are an effective element in the free world's
deterrent force."
When the B-52s were being upgraded with a
new series of electronic counter measures (ECM)
devices under Program RIVET ACE, the 2d was
chosen to test the equipment.
Exercises performed by the Wing during
1971 included the following:
Exercise GIANT LANCE involved the Goose
Tanker Task Force stationed at Goose Bay, Labrador. For this exercise, the 2d provided three B52 and six KC-135 crews between April 6 and 10.
Exercise SNOW TIME was another of the
SAC/NORAD penetration exercises to test the
North American air defense system. It was flown
on June 15.
In Exercise GIANT LANCE, two tanker and
four bomber crews from the 2d participated in
an exercise which was conducted from Thule
AB, Greenland between August 16 and 20.
Exercise BUCKSKIN RIDER was an exercise conducted on October 5, to test the Wing's
wartime mission under attack conditions.
On April 22, 1971, four B-52 crews, one each
from the 2d, 3 10th, 320th, and 379th Bombardment Wings again represented SAC at the RAF
Bombing Competition. This B-52 team once
again took the Blue Steel Trophy.
197227
1972 was the most notable year of the long
Southeast Assian War in which the 2d's crews
participated. North Vietnamese forces launched
the biggest attack in 4 years across the DMZ on
March 30. The U.S. responded April 15 by
bombing the Hanoi-Haiphong area after a fouryear lull and in May, by mining North Vietnam
ports. Finally, in December, U.S. bombers struck
massively in North Vietnam for 5 days in retaliation for alleged violations of agreement reached
prior to the 1968 bombing halt. This air action
was credited with bringing the peace talks to
conclusion. As more and more of the U.S. war
effort was shifted to air power, ground forces
were steadily withdrawn. The last U.S. combat
troops left August 11 , and by year-end U. S.
forces were down to 140,000. 28
In many other respects, 1972 was a repetition of recent years for the 2d during the Cold
War. Air and ground crews honed their individual
and team skills. They practiced and were tested
on assigned emergency war plan missions. They
continued to maintain their part of the nuclear
deterrent force, and repeatedly practiced strategic global mobility. Part of the operations and
training came via completion of 16 code-named
exercises directed by higher headquarters. Wing
tanker crews continued their rotational deployments to the Spanish Tanker Task Force for refueling support of CHROME DOME B-52 airborne alert opeations over the southern route. In
addition, busy tanker crews furnished refueling
support for two overseas deployments, one of
which was a deployment ofF-4s to TerrejonAB,
Spain, and of course continued deployments in
support of the Southeast Asian war.
Operating statistics during the first quarter
were indicative of the demands on the Wing. The
Wing's 54 combat-ready bomber crews flew 420
sorties, and 49 combat-ready tanker crews flew
515 sorties.
On February 15, a 2d Wing B-52 crew, which
had flown to Sheppard AFB, Texas, suffered a
ground mishap. While undergoing engine run up,
a piece of the parking apron broke loose from
the engine exhaust blast and fell back onto the
airplane, causing extensive damage.
On March 1, the 596th Bomb Squadron was
presented the Golden Bomber Award for demonstrating outstanding air crew professionalism
for the period July through December 1971.
During the Second Air Force award banquet held
this same day, the Wing received more awards
than any other unit in the Second Air Force. On
October 6, the Wing was awarded the SAC Hall
of Fame certificate for 5 consecutive years of
accident-free flying!(See Appendix 5.)
The Wing was repeatedly tapped for bomber
and tanker airplanes and crews in support of the
war in Southeast Asia. On these deployments, the
crews were assigned to the 72nd Strategic Wing
(Provisional), based atAndersenAFB, Guam. The
72nd Wing was opereational with B-52s between
June 1972 and November 1973, and was assigned
to the Eighth Air Force. Early in 1972, 19 tanker
crews were deployed as part of YOUNG TIGER;
the aerial refueling plan for support of the Southeast Asia combat operations. Another 11 KC-135
crews were sent to Clark AB, the Philippines for
Operation CONSTANT GUARD to augment
YOUNG TIGER operations.
When the North Vietnamese launched their
biggest attacks across the Demilitarized Zone
(DMZ) in four years, on March 30, the U.S. retaliated by bombing Hanoi and Haiphong in
North Vietnam after a four-year lull. The B-52s
did not participate in these raids, but the bombing south of the 20th parallel was intensified
under Operation BULLET SHOT. The 2d sent
1,461 personnel and 23 B-52s to various bases
for BULLET SHOT. The operation was carried
out in five phases between February 8 and May
27. Elements of the Wing participated in each
of these phases.
Sufficient B-52s and KC-135s from throughout SAC were deployed to Andersen AFB to fill
all the revetments. Maintenance, refueling, engine
run-ups, and rearming on the crowded base went
on around the clock. The noise was so incessant
that maintenance personnel could not sleep. As a
consequence, many of them boarded tankers on
combat refueling missions just to get some sleep.
One of the anomalies of the war was a source
of considerable frustration to combat crews.
Throughout most of the combat operations from
Andersen AFB, a Soviet trawler was stationed
three to six miles off the runway, in international
waters. Taking advantage of its politically safe
haven, this picket ship radioed to the North Vietnamese continuing and important intelligence
about operations from Andersen, including aircraft counts, take off times, etc.
THE CHRISTMAS BOMBING, 1972
The most significant event in the Wing's history during this period was its contribution to
bringing the Vietnam peace agreement to closure. The U.S. started its direct military involvement in Vietnam when President Truman sent
35 advisors to South Vietnam in June 1950, and
agreed to provide military and economic aid to
the anti-Communist government. From this modest beginning, involvement steadily escalated
until the U.S. was heavily embroiled in the increasingly complex Vietnam War. As the war
dragged on, public protests and Congressional
This North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-21, Fishbed was captured on film whizing across the North Vietnamese
countryside. U.S. air supremacy kept these aircraft from becoming a major threat later on the war; however,
they were employed uniquely during Operation LINEBACKER II when they flew formation with the B-52s to get
heading, airspeed, and altitude information for the North Vietnamese antiaircraft defenses. (Courtesy of the
United States Air Force via Air Force Association)
opposition to it mounted, together with the pressure to get out.
On March 31, 1968, President Johnson curbed
bombing of North Vietnam as a prelude to the first
peace talks that began in Paris on May 10th of
that year. As talks continued, all bombing of the
North was halted October 31 , 1968. Four years of
periodic negotiations followed without a peace
agreement being reach. Then in October 1972,
talks progressed to the point of sufficient promise
for successful conclusion that Henry Kissinger,
Assistant to President Nixon for National Security Affairs, stated at an October 26 press conference that, "peace was at hand." Subsequent events
proved this assessment to be premature, and as
Kissinger later acknowledged, the use of these
words was ill-advised. November negotiations
recessed without agreement. 29
Kissinger returned to Paris in early December to exert maximun effort to conclude the
agreement that proved so promising at the end
of October. To show goodwill, the U.S. sent a
message to Hanoi saying that air operations over
North Vietnam were being reduced. The talks
resumed on December 4. Kissinger's plan and
hope were to settle the very nominal remaining
difference in two days. Instead, Le Duc Tho, the
North Vietnamese representative, withdrew 9 of
12 changes he had accepted during previous sessions. Instead of two days, the negotiations
dragged out to ten days, the longest session ever
between Kissinger and Tho. Each day they were
further from agreement as the North Vietnamese became more intransigent and contemptuous of U.S. positions. 30
Kissinger reported there was no intractable
substantive issue separating the two sides, but
rather an apparent North Vietnamese determination not to allow agreement to be completed.
The North Vietnamese were stalling, seemingly
in the hope that public and Congressional opposition to the war, and the growing rift with President Thieu of South Vietnam, who steadfastly
refused to agree with the peace proposals, would
force the Nixon administration into an agreement
considerably less favorable than had already
been tentatively agreed to, or face the onus for
breaking off the negotiations.
Kissinger summed up the alternatives in a cable
to the President. There were essentially two strategic options. The first was to increase pressure
on Hanoi by bombing and other military measures.
Secondly, to maintain appearances by scheduling
another session of negotiations with the Vietnamese in January 1973, (which Kissinger thought
probably meant letting matters drift into a series
of inconclusive discussions). Later, at a strategy
session in the White House, and at the urging of
Alexander Haig, Kissinger's assistant, President
Nixon chose resumption of heavy bombing using B-52s on a sustained basis for the first time
over North Vietnam. The choice ofB-52s was for
shock value and because they had the all-weather
capability to assure sustained operations. There
were no illusions about the public and Congressional outburst this would bring. The bombing was
to resume December 18 - timing that would surely
intensify the outcry. Nixon reasoned he could stand
the pressure if the bombing forced a favorable
outcome. 3l
DECEMBER 18- B oMBER
OFFENSIVE BEGINS
The military code name for the bomber offensive was Operation LINEBACKER II.32 On the
first mission the night of December 18, the bomber
force of 129 B-52s attacked in three waves, with
four to five hour intervals between each wave. The
enemy air defense forces were comprised mainly
of Russian-built MiG-21 fighters and SA-2 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). A mission priority
was to neutralize or suppress this potentially formidable opposition to successful bombing. The
North Vietnamese did have antiaircraft artillery,
but its effectiveness was usually below the B-52
bombing altitude.
The MiG-21 , Fishbed, was a single-seat,
377
single-engine, mid-delta winged interceptor.
Powered by 12,125 -pound static thrust,
afterburning Tumanski R-37F turbojet engine,
the interceptor was capable of Mach 2 flight
speed at altitudes up to 65,610 feet. It had an
operating radius of 98 miles with its internal fuel
tank of 515 imperial gallons. Its range could be
augmented by a centerline external fuel tank of
either 140 or 165 imperial gallons. In lieu of the
external fuel tank, it could carry a missile pack.
Armament included a pair of 30 mm internal
cannons and two K-13 air-to-air missiles carried
on under-wing pylons.
The SA-2 SAMs commonly employed in
Southeast Asia were radar-guided missiles with
high-explosive war heads that were detonated by
proximity fuses. With booster, the missile was 35'
long and had a 5'7" fin. The SA-2 had a launch
weight of 5,000 pounds, and a range of 22 nautical miles. The SA-2 was usually deployed in batteries of four. It was transported on a Zil157 eightwheeled, articulated truck. Air crews likened an
approaching SA-2 to a huge telephone pole boring in on them atop an intense flame.
For reasons that were not explained, and to
the considerable consternation of combat crews,
the SA-2 sites under construction in Vietnam
were off limits to attack. It was only after they
became a highly capable threat that the White
House put them on the target list!
Supporting the first wave ofB-52s was a total of 39 EB-66s, F-4s, and F-105s. The EB-66s
provided ECM defense. The F-4s dispensed chaff
and furnished fighter escort, and the F-1 05s were
to attack SAM sites using Bullpup and Shrike
anti-radiation missiles.
The first wave of 48 B-52s included 27 bombers from Guam and 21 from Utapao, Thailand.
The latter attacked MiG-21 bases at Hoa Lac,
Kep, and Phuc Yen, while the Guam-based
bombers attacked the Kinh Ho Complex and the
Yen Vien railroad in the Hanoi area. The attackers struck their targets at 2 minute intervals between 7:45 and 8:18 in the evening. This wave
lost one bomber, (not from the 2d Wing). It was
the second B-52 bomber to go down in seven
years of combat operations. Three of the six
crewmen perished. The other three survived to
become POWs.
The second wave of 30 B-52s, all from
Andersen AFB, arrived over their targets between midnight and 12:24 A.M. They were supported by 39 chaff, ECM and escort aircraft, virtually the same support as provided to the first
wave. Eighteen of the bombers struck the Yen
Vein railroad, six the Hanoi railroad and six the
Kinh Ho complex.
PEACH
"
",
....
....
Pathet Lao control
SEVENTH FLEET
~
j
Port mining
. . Bombing of supply depots, railroads, etc.
The overall plan for Operation LINEBACKER II is shown on this map.
2 LOST
Maj. Clifford B. Ashley, and crew from the 2d
Bomb Wing, in aircraft number 58-0246, Peach
2, in wave two, were blasted out of the sky by a
SAM. Aboard the aircraft was Lt. Col. Hensley
R. Connor, Deputy Airborne Commander for the
mission. Lt. Col. Connor had chosen this crew
from the 2d Wing because of his previous observations of their professionalism. Besides Maj.
Ashley, the crew included Capt. Gary L.Vickers,
copilot; Maj. Archie C. Myers, radar navigator;
I st Lt. Forrest E. Stegelin, navigator; Capt. James
T. Tramel, EWO; and MlSgt. Kenneth E. Conner,
378
I . . . . . . . .: .
This SA -2 Guideline missile on its launcher was being used in a Russian training exercise. (Courtesy of the Air
Force Association)
Four SA-2 Guideline missiles may be seen in this photograph of a SAM site in North Vietnam. This picture was
taken by an RF-lOl C Voodoo from the 20th Tactical reconnaissance Squadron. (Courtesy of Norman Taylor)
A force of 18 B-52s were employed against the Kinh Ho Rail Yards on the opening night of Operation
LINEBACKER II, with these results at one of the targets. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
gunner. Lt. Col. Connor gave this account of the
mission:
Each squadron was given the responsibility for one wave of each raid. The staff and I
worked almost around the Clock getting
things ready for the first raid. The schedule
was prepared, crews were notified, transportation ordered, flying equipment prepared,
meals ordered, and all the myriad of things
that must be done to prepare 3 crews and airplanes for a combat mission.
Each wave would have a senior officer
along as an Airborne Mission Commander
(ABC). The wing commander would be the
ABC on the lead wave and I was assigned as
Deputy ABC to the second wave. I would not
fly in a crew position, but would go along in
the instructor pilot's seat as the seventh man
on the aircraft. By not having any crew duties, I could concentrate on how the mission
was progressing and be aware of any problems the wave might encounter.
The planning was complete, the briefings
were finally over, and we arrived at the aircraft to preflight the bombs and equipment.
Wave II was scheduled to begin taking off at
1900. Every 90 seconds after the first takeoff another fully loaded B-52 would roll
down the runway. Anyone who has ever witnessed such an event could never forget it.
After we leveled off, I tried to get some
sleep. I had gotten very little rest the night
before because of the many problems that had
come up during mission planning. I slept
three hours before the copilot woke me up
for our inflight refueling. Since the mission
was scheduled to last over 14 hours, refueling was necessary in order to complete the
mission and land back at Guam.
When the refueling was over, I turned on
the radio to hear how the lead wave was doing. They should then be in the target area,
and we should be able to hear how the enemy was reacting. The first report I heard was
when Col. Rew made his call-in after they
exited the target area. They had had a tough
experience. One airplane was known to be
shot down by SAMs, two were not presently
accounted for, and one had received heavy
battle damage. He initially estimated that the
North Vietnamese had fired over 200 SAMs
at them. There were no reports of MiG fighter
attacks. The aircraft artillery was heavy, but
well below their flight level. For us, the worst
part was now they knew we were coming,
and things would probably be even worse
when we got there.
I saw the SAMs as we came in closer to
the target area. They made white streaks oflight
as they climbed into thE night sky. As they left
the ground, they wo~u move slowly, pick up
speed as they climbe ,and end their flight, finally, in a cascade of sparkles. There were so
many of them it ren)inded me of a Fourth of
July fireworks display. A beautiful sight to
watch if I hadn't known how lethal they could
be. I had flown over 200 missions in B-57s
and I thought I knew what was in store for us,
but I had never seen so many SAMs. I did not
feel nearly as secure in the big, lumbering
bomber as I had in my B-57 Canberra that
could maneuver so much better.
Just before we started our bomb run, we
checked our emergency gear to make sure
everything was all right in case we were hit.
We would be most vulnerable on the bomb
run, since we would be within lethal range
of the SAMs and would be flying straight and
level. We had been briefed not to make any
evasive maneuvers on the bomb run so that
the radar navigator would be positive he was
379
aiming at the right target. If he was not absolutely sure he had the right target, we were to
withhold our bombs and then jettison them
into the ocean on our way back to Guam. We
did not want to hit anything but military targets. Precision bombing was the object of our
mission. The crews were briefed this way and
they followed their instructions.
About half way down the bomb run, the
electronic warfare officer on our crew began
to call over the interphone that SAMs had been
fired at us. One, two, three, now four missiles
had been fired. We flew straight and level.
"How far out from the target are we, Radar?"
"We're ten seconds out. Five. Four. Three,
Two, One. BOMBS AWAY!" Start your ...
tum, pilot."
We began a right turn to exit the target area.
KABOOM! We were hit.
It felt like we had been in the center of a
clap of thunder. The noise was deafening. Everything went really bright for an instant, then
dark again. I could smell ozone from burnt
powder, and had felt a slight jerk on my right
shoulder.
I quickly checked the flight instruments
and over the interphone said, "Pilot, we're
still flying. Are you OK?"
"Yes, I'm fine, but the airplane is in bad
shape. Let's check it over and see if we can
keep it airborne. Everybody check in and let
me know how they are."
"Navigator and Radar are OK. We' don 't
have any equipment operating, but l' II give you
a heading to Thailand any time you want it."
"EW is OK, but the Gunner has been hit.
We have about two more minutes in lethal
SAM range, so continue to make evasive
maneuvers if you can."
"Gunner is OK. I have some shrapnel in
my right arm, but nothing bad. The left side
of the airplane is full of holes."
I called the lead aircraft to let them know
we had been hit. He said he could tell we had
been hit because our left wing was on fire
and we were slowing down. I asked to call
some escort fighters for us.
The airplane continued to fly all right, so
the pilot resumed making evasive maneuvers.
We flew out of the range of the missiles, finally, and began taking stock of the airplane.
The SAM had exploded right off our left
wing. The fuel tank on the wing was·missing
along with part of the wing tip. We had lost
#1 and #2 engines. Fire was streaming out of
the wreckage they had left. Fuel was coming
out of the holes all throughout the left wing.
Most of our flight instruments were not working. We had lost cabin pressurization. We
were at 30,000 feet altitude. Our oxygen supply must have been hit, because the quantity
gauge was slowly decreasing. I took out two
walkaround bottles for the pilot and copilot.
If we ran out, they, at least, would have
enough emergency oxygen to get us down to
an altitude where we could breathe.
We turned to a heading that would take
us to U-Tapao, Thailand. I called again for
the fighter escort to take us toward friendly
territory.
"We're here, buddy."
Two F-4s had joined us and would stay
380
with us as long as they were needed. One
stayed high, and the other stayed on our wing,
as we descended to a lower altitude and to
oxygen. They called to alert rescue service
in case we had to abandon the aircraft. Our
first concern was to get out of North Vietnam and Laos. We did not want to end up as
POW s. We knew they did not take many prisoners in Laos.
Thailand looked beautiful when we finally
crossed the border. Since Thailand was not subject to bombing attacked, they still had their
lights on at night. We flew for about thirty minutes after we had descended to a lower altitude, and began to think we would be able to
get the airplane on the ground safely. The fire
in the left pod was still burning, but it didn 't
seem to be getting any worse. One F-4left us.
The other one said he would take one more
close look at us before he, too, would have to
leave. His fuel reserve was running low. He
flew down and joined on our left wing.
"I'd better stay with you, friend. The fire is
getting worse and I don't think you'll make it."
I unfastened my lap belt and leaned over
between the pilot and copilot to take another
look at the fire. It had now spread to the fuel
leaking out of the wing, and the whole left
wing was burning. It was a wall of red flame
starting just outside the cockpit and as high
as I could see.
I said, "I think I'll head downstairs."
"Good idea," said the pilot.
The six crew members in theB-52G have ejection seats that they fire to abandon the aircraft.
Anyone else on board has to go down to the lower
compartment and manually bail out of the hole
the navigator orradarnavigator leaves when their
seat is ejected. I quickly climbed down the ladder
and started to plug in my interphone cord to see
what our situation was.
The red ABANDON light came on.
BAM! The navigator fired his ejection
seat and was gone.
The radar turned toward me and pointed to
the hole the navigator had left and motioned
for me to jump. I climbed over some debris
and stood on the edge of the hole. I looked at
the ground far below. Did I want to jump? The
airplane began to shudder and shake, and I
heard other explosions as the other crew members ejected. I heard another louder blast - the
wing was exploding. Yes, I wanted to jump! I
rolled through the opening, and as soon as I
thought I was free of the plane, I pulled the
ripcord on my parachute.
I felt a sharp jerk and looked to see the
parachute canopy open above me. The opening shock felt good even though it had hurt
more than I expected. Everything was quiet
and eerie. There was a full moon, the weather
was clear, and I could see things very well. I
looked for other parachutes. One, two, three,
that's all I saw. Then I saw the airplane. It
was flying in a descending tum to the left
and the whole fuselage was now burning and
parts of the left wing had left the airplane. It
was exploding as it hit the ground.
I saw I was getting close to the ground,
so I got ready to land. I was floating backwards, but I could see I was going to land in
a little village. I raised my legs to keep from
getting into a hooch. I certainly didn't want
to land in someone's bedroom. I got my feet
down, hit the ground, and rolled over on my
backside. I got up on one knee and began to
feel around to see if I was all right. Everything seemed to be fine. There was a little
blood on my right shoulder from where a
piece of shrapnel had hit, but otherwise, just
bruises. It felt good to be alive.
About twenty or twenty-five Thai villagers came out of their homes and stood watching me. They were very quiet and friendly
and brought water for me to drink. None of
them spoke English, so we spent our time
waiting for rescue, trying to communicate
with sign language. They kept pointing to the
sky and showing me what must have been an
airplane crashing and burning. I tried to describe a helicopter to let them know one
would be coming soon to pick me up. I hoped.
In about twenty minutes a Marine helicopter did come, and I was picked up. We
had bailed out near the Marine base at Nam
Phong. All six of the crew had already been
rescued, and none had serious injuries. We
were flown to U-Tapao, and then on back to
Guam the next day. Our particular ordeal in
the bombing raids was over. The crew had
performed well; I was proud of them. The
reason I had decided to fly with them on the
mission was because I thought they were one
of my most professional crews. The outstanding way they handled our emergency showed
how competent and courageous they were.
The crew I had flown with, along with
two survivors from other aircraft, were flown
back to the States for rest and leave. They
were short of squadron commanders on
Guam, so I had to stay and help prepare other
raids that were continuing each night.
Wave III met the heaviest opposition with
over 50 SAMs being launched at them, heavy
AAA fire, and attempted MiG-21 intercepts. No
results of this attack were learned and there were
no known losses from 2d Bomb Wing.
Predictions that the bombing would destroy all
prospects for negotiations proved false as the exact
opposite happened. Coincident with resumption of
bombing on December 18, the U.S. sent a message
to Hanoi accusing North Vietnam of deliberately and
frivolously delaying talks, and proposing a solution
to the negotiating impasse, and stating that Kissinger
was prepared to meet with Le Duc Tho anytime after
December 26. The first North Vietnam reaction to
the resumed bombing occured at a technical meeting
in Paris on December 20, when Hanoi's representative rejected the allegation of frivolity and adjoumed
the meeting to December 23 - a mild protest considering the circumstances.33 In the meantime the
bombing continued.
DECEMBER
19 AND 20 RAIDS
On the nights of December 19 and 20, ninetythree and 99 B-52s respectively, returned to
pound targets in the North. Concurrently with
the resumption of bombing on the 18th, the 2d
Wing started deployment of 16 KC-135s to the
theater-9 to U tapao and 7 to the 41 02nd ARefS
(Provisional) at Clark AB in the Philippines. All
of these tankers were in place by December 20.
GOLD
2 SURVIVES CLOSE
ENCOUNTERS
On the night of December 20, a 2d Wing crew
in aircraft Gold 2, commanded by Capt. Rolland
A. Scott, was in the first wave of the attacking
force. Capt. Scott described the mission:
I flew in Gold 2 with another crew as a
substitute pilot. The time, track, and target locations were nearly the same as my mission
on the 18th. Shortly after takeoff, we lost one
engine and flew the mission on seven. That
wasn't too serious a problem in the "G" model
(Common usage, but technically incorrect designation. The military designation system
specifies: Mission-Design-Series, where, in
case of a B-52G, Mission =B [Bomber], Design = 52, and Series = G.), but I would have
felt better if it hadn't happened.
On the northbound leg over NVN (North
VietnamNietnamese) we heard a good deal
of fighter activity and numerous sightings
were made of aircraft with lights on, presumably friendly fighters. There appeared to be
no SAM activity.
On the southeast leg approaching the IP,
my copilot stated he saw a MiG-21 on the right
wing of our aircraft. In mild disbelief, I
stretched to see out his window, and sure
enough a MiG-21 with lights off was flying
tight formation with us. I believe we could
actually see the pilot. The approach of the
fighter had not been detected by onboard systems. Shortly, two or three minutes, the copilot reported the MiG had departed. Almost
immediately, I saw the same, or another, enemy aircraft flying formation on the left side
of us. After a brief period, less than a minute,
it departed.
Our sighs of relief were short-lived, and
we quickly learned what the MiGs had been
up to. We visually detected missiles approaching from our eleven and one 0' clock positions.
Several pairs of missiles were simultaneously
launched from these directions. I was extremely worried that the missiles were also
approaching from the rear that we could not
see. The EWO reported no UPLINK or
DOWNLINK signals (ECM terms for electronic tracking by SAMs and by B-52s) with
the missiles on this mission as were reported
on the night of the 18th. However, these missiles appeared to be a lot more accurate than
on the 18th. They seemed to readjust their track
as I made small turns. I waited for each to get
as close as I dared, and then we would make a
hard, although relatively small, maneuver in
hopes of avoiding them.
They arrived in pairs, just a few seconds
apart. Some, as they passed, would explodea few close enough to shake my aircraft. In
fact, one exploded so close and caused such
a loud noise and violent shock that I stated
to the crew that I thought we had been hit.
In a very few seconds, after assessing engine instruments and control responses, and
having received an OK from downstairs, I
determined we had not been hit, or at least
we were under minimal control, and we continued the bomb run. Apparently the MiG21 we saw was flying with us to report our
heading, altitude, and airspeed to the missile sites.
The missiles were no longer directed towards us in the latter half of the bomb run;
however, I could see SAM activity ahead in
the vicinity of the target. In fact, while on the
run we saw a large ball of fire erupt some
few miles ahead of us and slowly turn to the
right and descend. I thought it was a BUFF
(crew nickname for B-52) and was sure no
one could survive what appeared to have been
a direct hit. I learned later what I saw was
Quill 3 going down in flames . Amazingly,
four crewmembers successfully ejected.
We completed our bomb run and were in
the middle of our post-target right turn when
we again became an item of interest to the
missiles. From our left and below were at
least three missiles, perhaps four, approaching rapidly. I felt I had no chance to avoid
them by either maintaining or rolling out of
the right turn, so I increased the planned
bank angle drastically.. . and lowered the
nose. The SAM passed above us from our
left. I lost some altitude in the maneuver,
and in the attempt to climb and accelerate
on seven engines I lagged behind lead and
somewhat out of position. There were no
further SAMs directed at our aircraft; however, there was apparently a lot of enemy
fighter activity on our withdrawal, according to radio transmissions. We could see
numerous fighters with lights on, and the
gunner reported numerous targets on the radar, one of which appeared to follow us, but
not in the cone of fire . We saw no aircraft
which appeared to be hostile, nor any hostile maneuvers.
As we passed east of NKP (Nakhom
Phanom Air Base, Thailand) on a southerly
heading, we heard what was apparently a B52 crew abandoning their aircraft over
friendly territory. In the distance, toward
NKP, we saw a fireball which we assumed
to be the BUFF impacting the ground. It
might have been Brass 2, and Capt. John
Ellinger and his crew were mighty lucky.
A cruel lesson was learned from the Wave
III raid on the night of December 20. Half ofthe
B-52Gs deployed to Andersen AFB were
equipped with the latest -generation ECM equipment and the other half were not. Thus the unmodified aircraft were deprived of adequate protection from SAMs, increasing their own vulnerability, and that of their cells, to attack. As a
consequence the battle plan for Wave II was
altered. Six unmodified B-52Gs were recalled
from Wave II on the night of December 20. The
raid bomb tonnage lost by the recall was not
considered to be crucial to the success of the
mission. A similar reprieve was not accorded
the unmodified aircraft in Wave III, because of
the signifiance of their targets.
A force of 12 B-52Gs was tasked with striking the Kinh No Complex, an extensive area which
contained four targets. The loss of these unmodified B-52Gs would have negated over half of the
combined efforts of Waves II and III. The decision not to recall, and the coincident loss of onboard radar on one unmodified airplane, cost the
lives of a crew and the loss of an airplane.
TAN
3 GOES
DOWN
One B-52G, Tan 3,commanded by Capt.
Randall Craddock from 97th Bombardment
Wing (the co-unit that operated with the 2nd
through much of WW II),whose home station
was Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, was lost on
Wave III the night of December 20. During the
mission, Tan 3 lost its bombing and navigation
radar. Capt. Craddock and his crew tried to compensate for this loss by using the radar signal
from the preceding aircraft to compute an accurate release point. Unfortunately Tan 3 wavered
off course and became the victim of a SAM.
Capt. Chris Quill, and his crew from the 2d
Bomb Wing, were driving their ship, Aqua 3,
into the heart of Hanoi behind Olive 3 and Tan
3. Aqua 3 would be the last B-52 to go to downtown Hanoi during the entire LINEBACKER II
campaign. The radar navigator, Maj. Dick
Parrish, aboard Aqua 3 told this story:
As we made our turn north of Thud Ridge
(nickname for mountain range northwest of
Hanoi used as a radar feature for navigation
and target orientation), both the pilot and
copilot saw a burning aircraft at a lower altitude heading back to the northwest. We were
an item of interest to a SAM at the time, and
were having problems enough of our own.
However, they were able to look at the burning aircraft long enough to be satisfied that it
was a BUFF. (Note: This was most probably
the sighting of Straw 2, a B-52 that made it
back to Laos.)
As we pressed on, I heard Chris and Joe
Grinder, our copilot, exchange the following
remarks: "Good Lord, what was that?" "Must
have been a direct hit." "My God, what a fireball!" (Note: Due to the violence of the explosion, this was most probably Tan 3.) Right
after that the EWO yanked us back to our
own situation by stating that his scope was
covered with threats.
I couldn't worry with the EWO's threats,
or fireballs, or anything else. I had only one
job - to get the bombs on the target with no
mistakes. I had half seriously told Bill
Stillwell (navigator) earlier that if he sat over
there in the navigator's position and let me
forget to open the doors, 1'd kill him. He
didn't forget, and neither did 1. I wasn't about
to be on a crew of six people, going all the
way up there and risking our lives, only not
to get the bombs out. We made it through
release and the big turn back to the west on
autopilot, because it had become so quiet
around us. This procedure would allow both
pilots more time to concentrate outside the
aircraft. Both he and Joe decided to take one
more good look beforehand, though. As Chris
looked as far back and down to the left as he
could, he spotted two white streaks coming
at us. The next thing I knew, we were in a
steep, descending right turn. Almost instantly,
Leo Languirand (gunner) saw two traces
come into his gunnery scope. While we continued the maneuver, the traces continued to
climb, and we were closing. Then the two
blips disappeared. We did a little mental gymnastics and figured they went off just about
where we would have been.
381
It got quieter as we headed for Laos. Then,
as we were nearing the border, Chris and Joe
saw a large explosion on the ground out ahead
of us. It was an airplane, which they were
sure it was, it had to have been a big one.
(Note: This could have very possibly been
another sighting of Straw 2.)
All of the sightings the pilots had made,
plus what we had experienced on our own
sort of got to us. I think. As we headed on
down-country and towards the water, I tried
to break the ice with some weak joke. Dick
Engkjer, our EWO, had been staring at all
that wild stuff on his scope, and didn't think
I was very funny. He promptly chewed on
me for trying to act happy at a time like that.
I understood how he was feeling. But then I
got to thinking, and said, "What the heck.
We did the job and we're out in one piece. I
think there's plenty to be happy about." The
flight back home went better for me after
that.
Enthusiasm for LINEBACKER II ran high
at the outset of the operation. Crewmen grounded
by the flight surgeon worked to get back on flying status. Three of those who did were later
cited for heroism. Despite this enthusiasm, plans
for the fourth mission resulted in considerable
staff disucussions about adequate rest for both
air and ground crews. A scheduled strike on the
fourth consecutive night would have resulted in
too many 18-hour days for the personnel.
CHRISTMAS BREAK
Yes, sometimes even warriors get a Christmas break. The chaplains provided formal services and walked the flight line from revetmentto-revetment listening and giving words of encouragement. For those who became POWs,
these moments would help provide the hope and
guidance to persevere.
DECEMBER
26
A massive LINEBACKER II strike was
flown on December 26. Seven waves totalling
120 StratoJortresses - 78 from Guam and 42
from Utapao AB, Thailand - struck a variety
of targets in the Hanoi-Haiphong area, including railroads, petroleum storage, vehicle parks,
SAM sites, electrical facilities and industrial
complexes. One hundred thirteen support aircraft, drawn from the Air Force, the Navy and
the Marines, provided ECM, chaff, SAM site
suppression, and bomber escort services.
Maj . Glenn Robertson from the 2d Bomb
Wing led the B-52Gs in Wave VII. Waves VI
and VII made a double-barreled strike on the
Haiphong railroad yards and transformer station
from the northeast and southeast. There were 15
targets in each of these complexes. The targets
were struck in three-minute intervals beginning
at 10:30 P.M. There were a lot of B-52s within a
small airspace at the same time that night.
The stress of combat does different things to
different people. A captain, who was a B-52 aircraft commander from the 2d on TDY at U -Tapao
AB, Thailand, refused to fly any more combat
missions over Vietnam for personal moral and
conscientious reasons. On December 26, he was
382
relieved of duty and discharged from the Air Force
under less than honorable conditions.
The U.S. heard directly from Hanoi on December 26. The North Vietnamese rejected the
" ultimatum language" of the U.S . previous message, but accepted the terms for resuming negotiations. Kissinger observed, "We had not heard
such a polite tone from the North Vietnamese
since the middle of October. "34
DECEMBER
27
For the first time crews got to see good poststrike reconnaissance photographs on December
27. These photographs were taken by drones, SR71s, and U-2s. The crews matched the strike
photographs with their own radar photographs
and discussed the two with photo interpreters.
They could see the results of their own bombs.
They had hit their marks and hit them hard.
So good was the intelligence, mission planning, and crew execution, followed by a marked
lack of rebuilding on the part of the stunned
North Vietnamese, new targets were becoming
scarce. Once again strategic bombardment was
proving exceptionally effective.
Bombing resumed with another strike
launched on December 27. This time a force of
60 B-52s - 30 from Guam and 30 from
Utapao - struck seven target complexes, including the Lang Dang marshalling yards. The target complexes at Haiphong had been destroyed
the night before and would not appear on the
target list again. The bomber strike force of 60
aircraft enjoyed the very high ratio of 101 support aircraft services for ECM, chaff, SAM suppression, escort, and MiG CAP. The latter being
the code name for friendly fighter patrols deployed between the bombers and any MiG interceptor threat.
A crew from the 2d led the Opal Cell against
the Lang Dang marshaling yards. A total of 21
B-52s struck this target that night. The story of
this crew, told by Phillip R. Blaufuss, the radar
navigator follows:
I flew in LINEBACKER II with one of
the most fantastic pilots I've ever knownCapt. Dick Martin. In fact, I had the good
luck to be teamed up with five tremendous
people. I would have flown anywhere - absolutely anywhere - with those guys. Our
home station was BarksdaleAFB, Louisiana,
but we were doing most of our living as a
crew family on the Rock in those days. Our
ability to work smoothly as a crew was what
made the difference between having a good
tour or a so-so one, and it was a key to our
success on December 27th.
That was my third mission as an RN during the campaign; in many ways, it was the
toughest. That might sound surprising, considering that we had less thrown at us in the
way of defenses that night. However, my job
was to bomb. Worrying about defenses was,
from my downstairs position, an evil I had to
ignore. I can't think of anything more useless than to worry about missiles when you're
an RN or a NAV, stuck in the belly of an airplane with no windows to see all the hell
that's breaking loose, no guns to shoot, no
ECM equipment to jam with, and no control
column or throttles to maneuver the plane.
Talk about a waste of time; worrying about
enemy defenses is sure one of them under
those conditions.
The toughness of this mission came from
the target we were fragged (a portion or "frag ment" of the total Air Tasking Order for the
entire operation) against. We were leading
Opal Cell in the middle of a wave of Gs, all
headed for the Lang Dang railroad yards. The
marshaling yards and rolling stock were important targets, but Lang Dang is up in the
hill country northeast of Hanoi. That's in the
boondocks, and our radar aiming points were
some of the toughest I ever had to use. If the
mission was going to be a success, I simply
had to put my full attention to my own specialjob. That was to make sure the checklist
for releasing armed bombs was completed
with no omissions, to make sure the equipment was working properly to solve the
bombing problem, and to make sure I was
on the aiming point. Anything else would
have detracted from that, and that's where
Dick Martin showed one of the many talents
he had. Dick kept the crew informed. No theatrics - just good, solid information. He reacted to a SAM launch with a quiet, running
advisory on where it was and what it meant
to us. He was relaxed and self-disciplined,
and it rubbed off on the whole crew. Each
one knew his job, kept the rest of .the crew
advised - it they needed to know - and we
all calmly went about our business. I counted
it a pleasure to fly with them.
We did have a situation that night which
wasn't in the frag order, and caused us some
aggravation. After we had coasted in from the
Gulf, we temporarily became a four-ship cell.
At least that's what the guys in the Gray Cell
behind us observed. It seems that a MiG had
decided to come up and play tag-along by flying loose formation off our wing. It was probably another case of being up there as a traffic
cop for the SAM batteries. Anyhow, somebody
called for MiG CAP, and when the F-4 headed
our way I'm told that our fourth aircraft left
the scene about as urgently as anybody had
ever seen before.
Hanoi's genuine eagerness to have the bombing stop and and renew negotiations came on December 27, when a message was received expressing readiness to resume talks as soon as the bombing halted, and reaffIrming Le Duc Tho's willingness to meet with Kissinger on January 8, 1973.
Kissinger's offer to meet anytime after December
26 has been declined earlier because Tho was reported to be ill. The U.S. insisted on a time limit
for the talks and offered to stop bombing within
36 hours of receiving Hanoi's confIrmation of the
terms for resuming the talkS. 35
DECEMBER
28
AND
29
Follow-on raids were made over the North
on the nights of December 28 and 29, but the
course for concluding a peace agreement had
been set. Bombing of the North ceased. Talks
between Kissinger and Le Duc Tho resumed
in Paris on January 8, and on January 23 they
initialled the texts of the agreement. For
America the Vietnam war was officially
over. 36
Despite this favorable outcome, the Christmas Bombing loosed a fire storm of outrage and
moral indignation from the public, the press and
the Congress. Some foreign governments joined
in, and as expected China and the Soviet Union
were quick to add their condemnation. At home
the castigation was expressed in such exaggerated terms as "madness," "terror from the skies,"
"rain of death," and contrary to facts, the accusation of "indiscriminate carpet bombing of
heavily populated areas." The North Vietnamese at the time claimed between 1,300 and 1,600
civilian fatalities, a number hardly indicative of
the charges. On March 25, 1973, Peter Ward, of
the Baltimore Sun, wrote after a visit to Hanoi,
"Hanoi has certainly been damaged, but evidence
on the ground disproves charges of
indescriminate bombing. Several bomb loads
obviously went astray into civilian residential
areas, but damage there was minor, compared to
the total destruction of selected targets." The civilian toll, even as it was, no doubt included some
fatalities from falling debris of approximately
1,000 SAMs that fell back into populated areas. 37
In a calm post-war study, British analyst Sir
Robert Thompson, in his book The Lessons of
Vietnam stated:
In my view, on December 30,1972, after
eleven days of those B -52 attacks on the
Hanoi area, you had won the war. It was over!
They had fired 1,242 SAMs; they had none
left, and what could come in overland from
China would be a mere trickle. They had their
whole rear base at that point at your mercy.
They would have taken any terms. And that
is why, of course, you actually got a peace
agreement in January, which you had not been
able to get in October.
Once again precision strategic bombing by
courageous, highly trained, and professional airmen, had attained the intended political ends. The
sacrifice of those lost in the campaign had not
been in vain.
135s flew more than 1,300 refueling sorties in
support of these operations.
Three different sources state that 884, 914,
or 1,242 SAMs were launched against the B52s. Using the conservative figure of 884 SAMs,
only 24 achieved hits, resulting in a 2.7% success rate of launches to hits. SAMs downed 15
B-52s, which equates to a 1.7% kill rate. Of the
729 bomber sorties, 498 penetrated highly defended target areas around Hanoi and Haiphong
Harbor. These aircraft experienced a 4% loss rate.
Ofthe 91 crewmen aboard the downed B-52s, 4
died in a B-52 that crashed, 29 were missing in
action, 33 bailed out over North Vietnam and
were captured, and another 25 who bailed out
were recovered by rescue teams.
RECOGNITION FOR A JOB WELL DONE
U.S. Army Air Force units deployed to the various theaters of operation during WW II and as such
were given credit for battle streamers and campaign
decorations. After WW II it was found to be more
practical for the USAF heavy bombardment units to
remain stationed at their bases within the United States
and deploy the necessary aircraft and crews to a theater of operation to fly the missions from a forward
operating location for short durations; or be temporarily reassigned to a Provisional Wing for extended
operations. U.S. Army regulations goveming the
awarding of unit and individual campaign decorations specify that only those units and individuals
participating are eligible to receive the decorations.
These same regulations apply to the USAF. Hence,
under these regulations, SAC units not directly participating in post-WW II combat operations, but who
trained and provided the crews, aircraft and support
personnel for such operations did not receive these
decorations. For all of the effort exerted by the 2d
Bomb Wmg during the war in Southeast Asia, only
the individuals and the provisional wings to which
they were assigned were eligible to receive the decorations. Decorations authorized for those members
of the 2d Bomb Wing who participated in the war in
Southeast Asia consist of the following: 38
•
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
•
During the eleven-day Christmas Bombing
campaign, the B-52s flew 729 sorties against 34
target complexes that included rail, electrical, communications and petroleum storage facitities, vehicle yards, ship yards, and such counter-air targets as MiG-21 bases, SAM sites, and air defense
radars. More than 15,000 tons of ordnance was
expended during these 11 days resulting in the
destruction or damage of 1,600 military structures;
500 rail interdictions with 372 pieces of rolling
stock destroyed or damaged; 3 million gallons of
petroleum products destroyed (estimated to have
been 25% of North Vietnam's reserves); 10 airfield interdictions which damaged runways and
ramps; destruction of about 80% of the North's
electrical power production capabilities; and the
destruction of numerous open storage items such
as ordnance and missile launchers.
Combined, the B-52s, TAC fighters, and
Navy and Marine aircraft dropped 20,770 tons
of bombs. The 15,000 tons dropped by the B52s represented over 72 % of the total. The KC-
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Vietnam Defensive Campaign (March 2,
1965-January 30, 1966)
Vietnam Air Campaign (January 31-June
28, 1966)
Vietnam Air Offensive Campaign (June
19, 1966-March 8, 1967)
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II Campaign (March 9, 1967-March 31,1968)
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase N Campaign
(November 1, 1968-February 22 1969)
Tet 69/Counteroffensive Campaign (February 23-June 8, 1969)
Vietnam SummeriFall 1969 Campaign
(June 8-0ctober 31,1969)
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II Campaign (March 9, 1967-March 31,1968)
Vietnam Air/Ground Campaign (January
22-July 7,1968)
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III Campaign (April I -October 31,1969)
Vietnam Winter/Spring 1970 Campaign
(November 1, 1979-April30, 1970)
Sanctuary Counteroffensive Campaign
(May I-June 30, 1970)
Southwest Monsoon Campaign (July 1November 30, 1970).
•
•
•
Commando Hunt V Campaign (December 1, 1970-May 14,1971)
Commando Hunt VI Campaign (May 15October 31,1971)
Commando Hunt VII Campaign (November 1, 1971-March 29, 1972)
Vietnam Cease Fire Campaign (March 30,
1972-January 28, 1973)
Violations of the peace accord by the North
Vietnamese resulted in a brief flurry of combat
activity in Southeast Asia and Wing's crews had
to return to combat to help stamp out the fire.
Enforcing the peace kept Wing crews deployed
for most of the year. When they all finally returned, the aircraft were in dire need of repair
which severely impacted the Wing's operations.
Returning crews came home in the midst of a
major energy crisis.
HOME FRONT HELP
The Wing's long and repeated deployments
to Southeast Asia imposed burdens on the families who remained behind. A 24-hour telephone
counseling service, called HELP, was instituted
on October 28,1970. During the first two weeks
of January 1973, HELP service received 24 calls
for assistance. A total of 846 calls had been received since April 1972. Many of the calls related to family finances and need for medical
attention. In most instances the problems were
resolved through the use of the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS), an amateur radio
network operated by military personnel for such
purposes as: telephone calls; chaplain support;
and Red Cross assistance. The assistance program was expanded through an Are Light People
Center Newsletter, which contained a number of
helpful hints for dependents. One wife prevented
serious damage to her automobile through the
maintenance tips in the newsletter.
MARS was an important adjunct to longrange family communications. The primary mission of MARS is to supplement normal Air Force
communications for all Air Force Communications circuits, and provide communications for
use in implementing domestic emergency plans
for Air Force commands. The secondary mission of MARS is to create interest and training
in military communications, promote study and
experimentation in military communications,
and provide a system-in-being for quasi-official
communications (such as chaplain's service, Red
Cross, and other special services activities) .
MARS will also provide communications to
Civil Defense forces that can be effected without interference with the military mission. During wartime (or any period of hostilities), MARS
operations will be limited to Air Force installations. Operational control will be exercised by
the commander of the appropriate major air command during such periods. 40 • 37
PEACE VIOLATIONS
The "Christmas Bombing" campaign was
followed by renewed attacks on logistics centers in North Vietnam between January 8 and
15. Elements of the Wing were among those who
383
flew these missions intended to show U.S. resolve that there should be no wavering in the
peace process. The peace accord was finally
signed January 27.
Violations of the peace accords by the North
Vietnamese brought retaliatory strikes by B-52s
on February 23, and April 16 and 17. Rebel Cambodians and North Vietnamese alld Viet Cong
forces advancing on Phnom Penh, Cambodia
were repeatedly bombed by B-52s . The last
bomber mission was flown August 15. Crews
paticipating in these operations were eligible for
the Cambodian Campaign Ribbon, (March 29August 15,1973).'1
THE CREWS AND AIRCRAFT RETURN
FROM WAR
The B-52s began arriving from Southeast
Asia at 7 A.M. on October 26. The first to
arrive was crew E-70 commanded by Capt.
Melvin L. Westerfield of the 596th Bomb
Squadron. The last crews arrived on October
30. This was also the date of the first bomber
training mission flown from Barksdale since
April 1972.
Immediately upon return of crews, the Wing
was subjected to a SAC OR!. The Wing passed
the inspection and was promptly certified to
nuclear alert status and the SAC EWO plan. Col.
Stanely C. Beck, wing commander from April
2, 1973 to June 30, 1974, stated, " ... was the
greatest Wing I ever commanded." Beck retired
as a major general (see Appendix 6).
The Wing was faced with a number of onerous tasks upon t11e return of aircraft and crews.
The greatest impact was caused by t11e fuel shortages, and the effects of prolonged combat on
equipment. There were energy shortages of crisis proportions, corrosion of the war-weary aircraft and ground vehicles needed attention.
Barksdale was hit with an early winter. Manning
shortages occurred and by the end of 1973, the
Wing was in the midst of reconstituting its
forces - all of which effected performance.
During November alone, 25 of 126 scheduled
B-52 training sorties had to be canceled due to
low fuel reserves, inflight equipment failures,
poor weather along the low-level routes and air
refueling areas, and the effects of crew
requalification requirements.
A world-wide energy crisis hit in middle
of 1973 as the result of an Arab oil embargo.
The crisis effected the economy, the private
sector and military operations . Base commanders issued orders and suggestions for
conservation that included reduction of fly ing hours through increased reliance on flight
simulators, repair and maintenance of energy
distribution systems, shut-down of unneeded
water and space heaters, and conservation
tips for family housing.
Several Wing tankers crews enjoyed a noncombat interlude when they were given the opportunity to support t11e Thunderbirds, t11e USAF
precision flight demonstation team, on a South
American tour between September 1 and October9.
The Wing was put on alert by SAC on October 24 and 25 in response to unilateral Soviet
movements against Israel during the 1973 ArabIsraeli War.
384
197442
Very little about the Wing during 1974 can
be told at this time because of continuing security classifications for this period. There were
shifts in the satellite basing for the Wing, several known exercises were flown , the Wing began testing the new Short Range Attack Missile
(SRAM), and hosted the 1974 Bomb & Navigation Competition.
On January 1, changes were made in the satellite bases for the Wing. These bases were used
as part of the SAC dispersal plan for its retaliatory forces. Detachment 2 moved from Ellsworth
AFB, SD to Amarillo Air Terminal, TX. Detachment 9 moved from Whiteman AFB, MO to
Clinton-Sherman Industrial Air Park, OK.
Exercise CORONET BLACK HAWK III was
a tanker deployment mission flown March 24-29.
Exercise SNOW TIME 75-1 wasaSACINORAD
air defense penetration mission involving six B52s on July 1. Exercise BUCKSKIN RIDER was
anot11er test of t11e Wing's capability to operate
while under a simulated nuclear attack which was
conducted on December 4.
In one of the most significant developments
of the year the Wing was selected to support testing of the new AGM-69A Short Range Attack
Missile (SRAM) . Maj. Farrell Lewallen was
appointed t11e Wing Project Officer on August
12. The 4201 st Test Squadron moved from Pease
AFB, NH, to Barksdale on September 15 to conduct operational tests and evaluation of the
SRAM. On October 4, t11e Wing received its
first B-52G which had been modified to accept
the SRAM. Activation of the SRAM program at
Barksdale began on November 1. The Wing's
first operational SRAM mission was successfully
flown on December 16, when the system performed wit110ut malfunction and the ground scoring of the simulated SRAM launches indicated
satisfactory accuracy.
The SRAM is a 2,230-lb., 14' long and 17.5"
diameter missile. It is powered by a 2-stage
ASR-75-LP-1 solid fuel rocket motor and has a
range of about 100 miles. It has a W-69 nuclear
warhead with a yield of approximately 20 kilotons. A total of 20 SRAMs may be carried on a
B-52; eight internally on a rotary rack in the
bomb bay and another 12 externally on the two
under wing stub pylons.
BarksdaleAFB hosted the 1974 SAC Bombing & Navigation Competition between November 10 and 16. While the Wing did not win the
competition, it was recognized for achieving the
best overall B-52 score within the Second Air
Force, fourth B-52 crew in competition for the
Fairchild Trophy, best maintained B -52 and
fourth best maintained KC-135.
1975 43
The Second Air Force was inactivated on
January 1, and SAC's assets were redistributed
between t11e Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces. The
2d Wing was reassigned to the Eight11 Air Force
which assumed the former Second Air Force
headquarters at Barksdale AFB .
Detachment 2 at Amarillo Air Terminal was
relinquished by the Wing on January 1 and
turned over to the 7th Bombardment Wing at
Carswell AFB, TX. Detachment 3 at Clinton-
Sherman Industrial Air Park, OK, was inactivated on March 30. During July two more satellite bases for the Wing were inactivated - Detachment 1, SheppardAFB, TX, and Detachment
2, Whiteman AFB, MO. Detachment 3, 1401st
Military Airlift Squadron, Military Airlift Command, became a new tenant at Barksdale April
1, where it provided logistics support. On June
20, the unit assumed operational control of the
T-39. This marked the end of the traditional base
flight as a unit integral to the Wing.
The Wing flew several exercises during the
year, including three SNOW TIME SAC/
NORAD air defense penetrations. Other exercises included: HIGH NOON, a bombing/navigation competition flown between September 30
and October 2; BUSY LUGGAGE VIII, a gravity nuclear weapons test performed by a B-52G
in October; and BUY NONE, a SAC-generated
operational readiness test mission flown on December 5.
An Eight11 Air Force Inspector General team
conducted a SRAM initial operational capability
inspection of t11e Wing between February 10 and
14 .. TheAGM-28 missiles were phased outoft11e
inventory on June 30, 1975. They had been replaced by t11e SRAMs on May 28. Wit11 t11e phaseout of the AGM-28 Hound Dog missiles, t11e 2d
Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron at
Barksdale was inactivated on September 1,1975.
In March, the North Vietnamese launched a
full -scale attack into South Vietnam which resulted in the collapse and retreat of the South
Vietnamese forces. During the latter part of April,
Saigon was under siege and the U.S. government
began airlifting U.S. citizens and refugees out
of Vietnam. On April 29, U.S. civilians were
evacuated from Saigon, and in Maya massive
evacuation of 140,000 Sout11 Vietnamese refugees started. 44 Wing KC- 135s Wing supported
this evacuation. These aircrews were eligible for
the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon. 45 • 41
In the fall of 1975, a 71st ARefS crew was
recognized for saving a damaged U.S. Navy F14 Tomcat during refueling support of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Saratoga operational readiness inspection.
During 1975, the Wing and its subordinate
units were recognized for outstanding achievements and received the following awards:
s
•
•
•
George M . Broutas Trophy-71st ARefS
recognized as SAC's outstanding air refueling squadron
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award- 71st
ARefS for operations between July 1,
1973 and June 30,1975
SAC Dillard Memorial Award for Transportation Excellence-2d Transportation
Squadron (October 23)
National Safety Council Award of Merit
for 1974-2d Bombardment Wing Safety
Division
Best Commissary in SAC-(July)
Best Commissary in the Air Force-(November)
197646
1976 brought in a new copilot upgrade program, transfer of KC- 135As to the Air National
Guard, and several exercises.
Col. Jerome R. Barnes, Jr was commander
of the Wing between June 1, 1976 and May 27 ,
1977. Col. Barnes served as the Vice Commander
of the 72d Bombardment Wing (Provisional),
and had the distinction of leading the last threeship cell sortie in Southeast Asia on August 15,
1973. He retired as a brigadier general (see Appendix 6).
Traditionally, SAC copilots received training
and experience to become aircraft commanders
through time flown as copilots in SAC operational aircraft. In 1975, SAC sought to accelerate and reduce the cost of copilot qualification
as aircraft commanders. The accelerated training was to be accomplished by copilots flying
solo in jet trainers under a program initiated on
a test basis in 1975, titled The Low Cost Aircraft Test Program. In 1976 this test program was
redesignated the Accelerated Copilot Enhancement Program (ACE) .
Through ACE, junior copilots were encouraged to take the T-37 Tweety Bird or the T-38
Talon , assigned to Air Training Command detachments at SAC bases, on solo cross country
training flights to hone their skills as aircraft
commanders because they had to do it all flight planning, fly the airplane, do all of the
navigation and communications, and land at remote airfields. Because of inherent icing problems with the T-37, these aircraft were generally
based at southern SAC bases; while the T-38
could be found at northern bases. On February
4, the first copilot was upgraded to pilot at
Barksdale under the Low Cost Aircraft Test Program. The ACE program replaced the Test Program at Barksdale on March 1, 1976.
Another major innovation during 1976 was
the transfer of a SAC mission to Air National
Guard and Air Force Reserve units. As a cost
savings measure for the active duty forces, 128
KC-135As were transferred from SAC to reserve
components. The Wing lost four tankers in this
program and became an advisor to the gaining
unit. The first aircraft went to the 134th Air Refueling Group, Tennessee ANG, at McGheeTyson Airport in November 1976. The next
tanker departed in March 1977. The Wing lost a
third tanker to the 161st ARefG, Arizona ANG,
Phoenix, Arizona on November 3, 1977. The
fourth tanker went to the 161st on December 1,
1977.
During 1976 the Wing participated in 11 exercises' and RED FLAG 77-2 - a new innovation
whereby SAC units participated in TAC's war
game exercises staged out of Nellis AFB, Nevada.
Part of this exercise involved the exhilarating experience of flying the 400,000-lb. B-52 just 200
feet above the desert at 400 knots. The Wing participated in RED FLAG for the first time on November 29. RED FLAG was a simulated war
exercise, carried out periodically, over the most
sophisticated target range in the world. The instrumented skies over the Nellis AFB range recorded, measured, and displayed crew performance with computer accuracy. RED FLAG exercises are credited with being a major factor in
the success of the air war during Desert Storm.
Exercise BRAVE SHIELD '76 was a Joint
Chiefs of Staff exercise held in late October. It
was a U.S. Readiness Command test involving
components of the USAF, Army, Navy, National
Guard, and Reserve. During the exercise, the
913th ARefS had responsibility for the planning, directing, briefing, launching and recovering refueling missions. The magnitude of this
exercise is apparent from the operating statistics. A total of 107 tanker sorties, 24 per day,
were flown out of Barksdale, with an average
daily transfer of 800,000 pounds of fuel to 60 to
100 TAC and ADC fighters .
Between August 5 and 10, B-52s from the
2d flew in support of the evaluation of the new
AN/ALR-46 ECM equipment.
It was a most active year for the Wing, because of having two bomb and two refueling
squadrons assigned, and because of co-location
with headquarters Eighth Air Force. The Wing
began 1977 with 2,807 military personnel. By
the end of the year, this number had grown to
4,064.
The Wing engaged in a number of exercises,
including three RED FLAG missions, two SACI
NORAD air defense prenetrations, a Joint Chiefs
of Staff exercise, and supported three overseas
fighter deployments.
On February 4, Wing tankers furnished air
refueling support for the 4th Tactical Fighter
Wing which was returning from an exercise at
Nellis AFB . NV, to Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC.
Exercise SALTY BEE was a test of TAC's
dual-basing concept which was conducted on
May 25. In addition to providing squadron staffs
to serve as the Deputy Commander of Orbit
Forces and the Air Operations Officer, crews of
the 913th ARefS flew five of the seven tanker
sorties during the first refueling cycle for 11 RF4Cs from the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
(TRW) which deployed from its home station at
Bergstrom AFB, TX., to Aviano AB, Italy.
In a repeat performance on September 8,
1977, the 913th ARefS provided the same staff
officers for Exercise CORONET FLUSH.
Squadron aircrews refueled 18 RF-4Cs from the
67th TRW which were en route from Bergstrom
AFB to Sollengin AB, West Germany.
A Wing B-52G was flown to RAF Greenham
Common and placed on static display from June
22 to 27 as part of the Queen's 25th Jubilee.
This bomber, sin 59-2584, had been TDY to RAF
Marham between June and July 1977.
Exercise BOLD EAGLE ' 78 was a Joint
Chiefs of Staff exercise conducted during the
latter part of October. All available aircrews and
tankers from the 913 th ARefS participated in the
refueling support which off-loaded over 2.6 million pounds of fuel to 415 TAC and ADC receivers. The crews had a 100% sortie effectiveness rate during this exercise.
CRESTED DOVE
Of special interest was the Crested Dove program in which SAC saved 66 tall-tailed B-52Ds
and B-52Fs, that were destined for the boneyard,
and inserted them into the inventories of various SAC wings as part of a deception program
for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
(START) negotiations. Soviet satellites orbiting
over the United States were unable to distinguish
one type B-52 from another, thereby confusing
the count. The Wing received one B-52F and
five B-52Ds as part of the Crested Dove program. The first B-52D arrived at Barksdale from
the 7th Bombardment Wing at Carswell AFB,
TX on March 14. A second B-52D arrived on
June 24, followed by a third aircraft on the 29th.
These aircraft were not flown; however, they
were towed around the ramp periodically to give
the impression they were operational.
By December 1978, all 66 Crested Dove B52Ds and B-52Fs were retired to Davis-Monthan
AFB, AZ or turned into ground trainers or museum displays. The last Crested Dove aircraft to
leave Barksdale on December 7, 1978 was B52F sin 57-0171.
The 71st ARefS was singled out again for
excellence when it received the Air Force
Outs an ding Unit Award.
197848
Wing crews flew numerous Wing, Eighth Air
Force and SAC -generated missions, and went
TDY in support of the various tanker task forces
and unit deployments.
The Wing flew in 11 exercises as part of its
overall operation, including three RED FLAG
exercises in March, July, and September. Five
separate exercises were tanker support operations
flown between June and November. B-52s were
involved in a classified BUSY ROUNDUP II
exercise in May and again in providing support
for a test program over the Eglin AFB range in
October.
Severe winter weather at Barksdale in January forced cancellation of 17 bomber, 10 tanker,
and 169 ACE sorties .
Wing tankers supported the Alaskan, European and Pacific Tanker Task Forces throughout
the year.
The 913th ARefS was recognized for exceptionally meritorious service for operations between April 1, 1976 and March 31,1978. For
their professionalism, the Squadron was awarded
the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
During 1979, the Wing completed ordered
missions and supported the various tanker task
forces at forward operating locations. Little unclassified information is available for the Wing's
operations during this period. Crews completed
a number of exercises during the year. Primairly
these involved KC-135 tanker support for missions flown beteween July and December. Four
separate tanker exercises were flown in this period, includirw the deployment of ground support equipmeht.lor the SAC-directed Exercise
GLOBAL SHIELD 79.
Col. Jack K. Farris commanded the Wing between March 15, 1979 and February 23 , 1981.
He retired as a major general (see Appendix 6).
198050
Wing aircraft and crews flew in a combined
total of 159 exercises during 1980. The tankers
flew in 111 exercises; while the bombers flew
another 48 . The Wing's B-52s participated in 12
RED FLAG exercises and seven MAPLE FLAG
exercises. B-52s from the 62nd Bomb Squadron
flew three separate classified missions in July,
385
August, and September. The 596th Bomb
Squadron's B-52s test fired a SRAM missile on
September 10, as part of Exercise BULLET
BLITZ. Three of the Wing's B-52s participated
in Exercise MAPLE FLAG over the Cold Lake
Weapon Range on October 14.
As part of a major reorganization, the 913th
ARefS and Detachment 2 of the 4200th Test
and Evaluation Squadron were disbanded on
October 31. The 32nd ARefS , 78th ARefS, and
2d Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
were all activated on November 1,1980, to support the new KC-1 0 mission which was assigned
to the Wing.
1981 proved to be another active period for
the Wing. Its crews and aircraft continued to
support the various tanker task forces and exercises. In addition, the new KC-lOA Extender
came into the Wing's inventory. However, the
constant heavy usage of the Wing's aircraft took
its toll this year when many of them were plagued
with major fuel leaks.
KC-lO EXTENDER 52
By 1976 SAC was in need of a larger tanker
to meet the burgeoning demands on its tanker
fleet and issued requests for proposal under the
Advanced Cargo Tanker Aircraft (ACTA) Program. Boeing offered its Model 747 freighter
with the KC-135 flying boom system; whereas
McDonnell Douglas presented a derivati ve of the
commercial DC-1O-30 series airliner, equipped
with a higher capacity refueling boom.
McDonnell Douglas won the ACTA contract
with their airplane which was designated the KClOA Extender. The similarity between the tanker
and the commercial DC-lO permits the USAF
to capitalize on 88% ofthe common components
which are available from stocks of world-wide
airlines.
The basic crew on the KC-10 is two pilots
and a boom operatorlloadmaster. The new internal navigation system precludes the requirement
for a navigator.
The KC-1 OA carries almost twice the fuel of
a KC-135A. The KC-lOA is capable of refueling with either the new McDonnell Douglas
high-capacity refueling boom or a hose and
drogue system. The boom on the KC-10 is 10'
longer than that on the KC-135; thereby reducing the effects of tanker downwash and receiver
bow wave. Fly-by-wire controls are employed
in the boom system. The high-capacity refueling boom has a 1,500-gallon-per-minute transfer rate. An air refueling receptacle is standard
on the KC-10, so when used as a transport, it
can be refueled by another tanker to extend its
range. While the KC-135s require the boom operator to work in a prone position; the KC- lO
has three bench seats for an instructor, an observer, and the boom operator to view the refueling operations through a panoramic 26 x 54"
window. The capacious cabin has cargo space
for many spare parts and ground equipment
required to support deploying units.
Power is provided by three 52,000-lb. static
thrust CF6-50C2 high-bypass turbofan engines.
The maximum gross weight of the KC-lOA is
386
590,000 pounds. With maximum cargo, its
unrefueled range is restricted to 4,370 nautical
miles. Its unrefueled ferry range is 11 ,500 nautical miles . In the cargo configuration, the KClOA can can'y up to 27 standard 463L cargo pallets, more than twice the 13 carried aboard the
C-141B Starlifter.
The first operational SAC KC-lOAs were
delivered to the 2d Bomb Wing's 32ndARefS at
Barksdale on March 17, 1981. These tankers
were flown and jointly maintained by the associated Air Force Reserve unit, the 78th ARefS at
Barksdale. On March 23,1981 the first KC-lOA
accomplished a refueling of a 2d Bomb Wing
B-52G. The tanker off-loaded 12,000 lbs. of fuel.
The 32ndARefS was 77.8 % mission-capable by
December 31 , 1981.
Fuel leaks on both the bombers and KC-135
tankers became critical to the Wing in 1981.
Heavy flying schedules resulted in significant
fuel leaks which had a major impact on the
Wing's operational capabilities. A summary of
these problems follows:
• Jan 29 - Nine KC-135As grounded for
fuel leaks
• Feb 18 - Manning in the fuel system area
was at an all-time low
• Feb 27 - KC-135A sin 57-1488 was prepared for a ferry flight to the depot at
Robins AFB, Georgia for fuel cell repairs.
• Mar 1 - Six B-52Gs grounded for fuel
leaks
• Mar 2 - All local flying was canceled because of fuel leaks
Operational flying included tanker deployments, exercises, and training on new terrain
avoidance equipment. The Wing's tanker task
force crews deployed on nine occasions during 1981: six for European Tanker Task Force
operations ; two for Pacific Tanker Task Force
operations; and one for Alaskan Tanker Task
Force operation. Exercises flown included
SAC-wide maneuver, RED FLAG missions,
and the Paris Air Show. By April 20, the Wing
had 30 of its mission-ready bomber crews
certified for night mountainous operations
using the terrain avoidance electro-optical
viewing system (EVS). The EVS permitted
flight at altitudes as low as 200 feet at speeds
of 400 knots at night.
On November 1, the 913thARefS was inactivated. It was replaced by the 32ndARefS. The
2nd Consolidated Maintenance Squadron was
also activated. The Wing then had two bomb
squadrons with B-52Gs, the 62nd and the 596th,
and two tanker squadrons, the 32nd with KClOs, and the 71st with KC-135As.
Except for work with the KC-10, operational
flying closely paralleled that of recent years with
tanker deployments and directed exercise missions, one of which was a SAC-wide Global
Shield exercise flown between July 15 and 23.
The Wing underwent an ORIT between March
26 and April 6. The new KC-10s were wrung
out in a number of exercises and tests. An organizational change on December 1,1982 resulted
in the replacement of the 19th Air Division with
the 45th Air Division as the reporting headquarters for the 2d Bombardment Wing.
Col. Loring R. Astorino was Wing commanderfrom February 16, 1982 to June 13, 1983.
He retired as a major general (see Appendix 6).
The 32nd ARefS ' s KC-10A s were put
through several tests and shake-down missions .
Aircraft s/n79-0433 was deployed to Eielson
AFB ,Alaska between January 15 and 21 , for cold
soak tests to determine the aircraft's operational!
maintainability characteristics under extremely
cold climactic conditions. Two KC-10s participated in a RED FLAG exercise on May 29. One
KC-10 deployed for Operation DEEP FREEZE,
the aerial resupply of scientific bases in Antarctica. The tanker departed June 21 and off-loaded
67,400 lbs. of JP-4 fuel for MAC C-141s when
they were 750 nautical miles from the South
Pole. The new KC-10 flight simulator facility
was completed on December 23,1983 54
1983
The Wing spent a busy year in 1983. Only
some of its achievements may now be revealed
because of the classified nature of most of the
activities. During 1983, the Wing participated
in a number of exercises, continued to improve
the operational capability of its new KC- 1Os, and
took part in a small war.
Col. Larry D. Fortner commanded the Wing
between June 13, 1983 and May 22, 1984. Col.
Fortner was promoted to brigadier general and
assumed command of the 42d Air Division at
Blytheville AFB , AK. He retired as a major general (see Appendix 6).
The number of aircraft assigned changed
during 1983. The number of B-52s decreased
from 28 to 20, the number of KC-135s remained
at 18, and the KC- lOs increased from 7 to 10.
On March 9, Wing tankers supported a fighter
deployment from HickamAFB, Hawaii to Wake
Island, a distance of 2,200 miles. KC-IOs from
the 32nd ARefS provided the requisite fuel for
the deployment of 24 F-15 Eagles of the 4th
Tactical Fighter Wing from Seymour Johnson
AFB, NC to Ramstein AB , West Germany. As
part of Exercise BUSY ROAD B, three KC-135s
from the Wing augmented the 7th Bombardment
Wing's tankers at Carswell AFB, Texas in support of their annual ORI. Between March 13 and
17, three Wing B-52s participated in Exercise
TEAM SPIRIT, an annual deployment of U.S.
forces to Korea. A KC-l OA from the 32nd flew
its first operational refueling mission with a
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird on May 27 . As part
of Exercise CORONET MOAT, five KC-lOs
from the 32nd refueled 18 F-4Es on an overwater
deployment on September 21.
The 71st ARefS was awarded the Albert L.
Evans Trophy for having the best boom section
in SAC.
March 31 , 1983 was a great day for the Eighth
Air Force Museum at Barksdale. It was on this
date that the Internal Revenue Service granted
the Museum Foundation 501C3 tax exemption
status under the Federal Tax Code. The museum
has an extensive display of 2d Bombardment
GrouplWing memorabilia, artifacts, and historical records dating from WW I to the present.
Several display aircraft at the museum are
painted in the Wing's markings.
The Eighth Air Force Museum at Barksdale AFB houses memorabilia and historical records of the 1st Day
Bombardment Group/2nd Bombardment Group/Wing. Outside are a number of significant aircraft from the
Eighth Air Force and the 2d Bombardment Wing. Harold D. "Buck" Rigg is its curator. (Courtesy of "Buck"
Rigg)
A
LITTLE
W AR 53
Intelligence reports during the latter half of
1983 indicated a Communist threat on the small
Caribbean island of Grenada. Cuba had been
secretly building an arms cache in preparation
for an armed overthrow of the local government.
Of additional concern to the U.S. were the number of American tourists and retirees on the island, and the many medical school students who
were attending school there.
President Ronald Reagan, backed by the British Governor General of Grenada and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, ordered
Operation URGENT FURY - a two-pronged
military assault on the island. A wide variety of
USAF aircraft participated in this mission which
inserted Marines and Army Rangers on the night
of October 24125. They were joined by a small
force from six carribean states.
Wing tankers supported the operation which
involved a number of tactical fighters, C-14Is,
AC- l30s, EC- l30s, and E-3 AWACSs - all hungry for fuel.
The combined forces quickly overwhelmed
and quelled light resistance from the Cubans and
some Grenada militia personnel. By November
21, when the operation was over, more than 700
Americans had been safely evacuated, over 755
Cubans had been airlifted to Barbados where
they were placed aboard commercial airliners for
return to Cuba, and a Grenadian Marxist regime
had been deposed.
Participating 2d Bombardment Wing tanker
crews were awarded the Grenada Campaign Ribbon (October 23-November 21, 1983).55
their skills in the ever-changing arena of world
tensions, fought in a protracted war which was
terminated only after application of strategic
airpower, and ended this period of their history
by participating in the eradication of a Marxist
investation in the Caribbean.
It was a period of high tensions in the Cold
War and the U.S. deterrent forces were compelled to operate at wartime readiness. When
the alert siren sounded, all ground activity at
Barksdale stopped while the alert crews careened
toward the flight line in their station wagons. No
crew member or ground support person knew
whether or not it was an exercise or the real thing.
All the training, all the deployments and all the
countless hours in the air were aimed at one objective - the ability to put bombs on the target!
For this very extensive period, the 2d Bomb
Wing was part of the ever-ready presence and
shield against the ever-growing might and menace of Soviet nuclear power.
It was also a period offamily sacrifice, separations, and stress and whose conseqences probably can never be adequately told. How many
divorces, how many resignations, how many requests for separation from the service, how many
non-reenlistments were the result of the demands
for full commitment to intense training and operations are not known. There were those who
became disallusioned and succumbed to the
widespread anti-war and anti-military sentiment
of the times. Still these impediments and the call
for sacrifice did not deter the men and women,
and yes, their understanding and loyal families
of the Wing from fulfilling their duty as Defenders of Liberty through this very critical period of
the Cold War.
OVERVIEW
In over two decades of operations from
Barksdale AFB, the men and women of the 2d
Bombardment Wing worked tirelessly to hone
Endnotes:
I This summary for three decade period, 1963-1993,
drawn in part from the chronology and events in "The
World Almanac 1993. Editor: Mark S. Hoffman," (An
Imprint of Pharos Books, a Scripps Howard Co. N. Y.,
N. Y.) pp
2 Robert Mueller, "Air Force Bases," Vol 1, Active Air
Force Bases within the United States of American on
September 17, 1982," (Office of Air Force History,
United States Air Force, Wash DC, 1989) pp 14-23
3 Alwyn T. Lloyd, "The B-52 .
35 Years Young,"
(Combat Crew Magazine, Strategic Air Command,
Offutt AFB, NE, April 1987) pg 22
4 Marcelle S. Knaack, "Post World War /I Bombers,"
(Office of Air Force History, USAF, Wash DC, 1986)
pp 205,294
5 Alwyn T. Lloyd, "B-52 Stratofortress in Detail &
Scale," Vol 27, (TAB Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA,
C. 1988) pp 4-8,16-18
Walter 1. Boyne, "B-52 - A Documentary History,"
(Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, London C. 1981.
Republished by Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, PA,
C. 1994 )
6 Alwyn T. Lloyd, "KC-135 Stratotanker in Detail &
Scale," Vol 44 (Klambach Publishing, Waukesha, WA,
C. 1994) pp 4 -20
7 2nd Bombardment Wing (Heavy) & Barksdale AFB
History, July 1963, Vol I
Dennis Casey & Bud Baker, "Fuel Aloft: A Brief
History of Aerial Refueling," USAF, Circa 1986, p 34
Wing & Barksdale History, September 1963
Chronology of the 4238th Strategic Wing, JanualY
1- Aprill, 1963, and the 2nd Bombardment Wing, April
1 - December 31, 1963 at Barksdale AFB, LA
8 Shreveport & Bossier City Salute, Unofficial
Directory & Guide, 1963, p 10
9 Maj. Arthur B. Klein interview, July 1995
JO Wing/Base Chronology 1964
/I Ibid, 1965
12 Klein interview, July 1995
13 John Schlight, "The War in South Vietnam - The
Years of the Offensive 1965-1968," (Office ofAir Force
History, Wash DC 1988) pp 49-51
Otto Johnson, Executive Editor, "Information
Almanac 1995, " (Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston & NY)
p117
14 Lloyd, "The B-52 . .. 35 Years Young," p 23
15 Klein interview, July 1995
16 Ibid
17 Wing/Base Chronology, 1966
18 2nd Bomb Wing News Releases: No. 66-11-13; No.
66-11 -25; No. 66-11-26; No. 66-11 -27; No. 66-11-18;
and No. 66-11-29
19 Wing/Base Chronology, 1967
20 Ibid, 1968
21 1991 World Almanac, p 448
22 Wing/Base Chronology, 1969
23 1991 World Almanac, p 448
24 Wing/Base Chronology, 1970
25 Ibid, 1971
Wing/Base History, October-December 1971
26 "Tournament Of Champions," (AIRMAN Magazine,
Vol Xv, No.3, March 1971) pp 28-37
27 Except where otherwise noted, narrative based on
Wing/Base Chronology 1972
28 1991 World Almanac, p 449
29 Henry Kissinger, "White House Years," (Little
Brown and Company, Boston, 1979) pp 1399, 1422
30 Ibid 1426-1429, 1444
31 Ibid 1445, 1447-/448
32 LINEBACKER II narrative taken from Brig. Gen.
James R. McCarthy and Col. Robert E. Rayfield,
"LINEBACKER II, A View from the Rock," (USAF
Southeast Asia Monograph Series, Vol VI, Monograph
8, Office of Air Force History, Wash DC 1985) pp 1175
33 Henry Kissinger, "White House Years," (Little
Brown and Company, Boston, 1979) p 1457
34 Ibid 1457, 1458
35 Ibid 1458
36 Ibid 1473, 1474
37 Ibid 1452, 1455
38 Timothy A . Warnock, "United States Air Force
Combat Medals, Streamers and Campaigns," (Office
387
ofAir Force History, Wash DC 1990) pp 233-280,289
39 Wing/Base Chronology 1973; Wing/Base History
January -March 1973; July-December 1973
40 Air Force Manual 100-5, " Military Radio Affiliate
System, USAF Communications-Electronic Doctrine,"
May 1960 pp 15-1
41 Warnock, Ibid p 299
42 Wing/Base Chronology 1974
43 Ibid 1975
44 World Almanac 1991, pp 449,450
45 Warnock, Ibid p 302
46 Wing/Base Chronology 1976
47 Ibid, 1977; Wing/Base History April-June 1977
48 Wing/Base Chronology January-March 1978
49 Ibid 1979
50 Ibid 1980
51 Ibid 1981
52 Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers,
"United States Military Aircraft Since 1909," (Putnam,
London 1989) pp 422, 423
Casey & Baker, Ibid pp 44, 45
53 Wing/Base Chronology 1982
54 Ibid 1983
55 Warnock, Ibid p 305
CHAPTER
XXII
DESERT STORM AND A NEW
1984-1993,
ERA
CLOSING THE DECADE
The overriding events of this closing decade
in the 2nd Bomb GrouplWing's 75 year history
were the ending of the Cold War, the war with
Iraq, and the restructuring of the U.S. armed
forces.
In a real sense, the Cold War ended in 1989
with Mikhail Gorbachev's program of reforms,
including glasnost (openness), expanded freedoms, democratization of the Soviet political
process, and the opening of the Berlin Wall. Officially, the Cold War didn't end until February
1, 1992 when President Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin issued a joint declaration stating that "Russia and the United States did not
regard each other as potential adversaries.'"
Though tensions eased with Russia, the
Middle East continued to fulfill its historical tradition as a cauldron of unrest. A dispute over the
sovereignty of the Shatt ai-Arab waterway that
separates Iran and Iraq erupted into war between
the two countries in 1980 that ushered in a decade of instability in the region. After the Ayatollah Khomeini ousted ailing and pro-western
Shah Pahlavi, Iran declared a Holy War against
western nations. In a choice between the lesser
of two evils, the western nations chose to support Iraq. In 1984 the Iran-Iraq war spread to the
Persian Gulf. Iran began to attack Kuwait oil
tankers in the Gulf in retaliation for Kuwait's
support of Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war. In 1987,
Kuwait ask the U. S. to place its flag on Kuwaiti tankers . With approval of President
Reagan, the U.S. Navy began reflagging and
escorting Kuwaiti tankers. On July 22, 1987,
the first reflagged tanker moved through the
Gulf. Two days later one of the tankers struck
an underwater mine laid by Iran. With the aid of
Military Airlift Command, eight RH-53D Super
Jolly Green Giant mine sweeping helicopters
were brought to the area and started rrtine sweeping operations in rrtid-August. In a show of force
against Iranian harassment of Gulf operations,
U.S . Navy warships and airplanes destroyed two
388
Iranian oil platforms and repelled an Iranian
small boat retaliatory raid.
The crowded Gulf waters and tense atmosphere contributed to two tragic incidents that
intensified passions in the area. An Iraq warplane launched a missile attack on the USS Stark,
a Navy frigate on patrol in the Persian Gulf,
killing thirty-seven U.S. sailors. Iraq apologized
for the attack, claiming it was inadvertent. The
USS Vincennes accidentally shot down an Iranian passenger plane, killing all 290 aboard.
Navy personnel mistook the plane for an Iranian
F-14 jet fighter. The brutal Iran-Iraq war finally
ended in August 1988, when Iran and Iraq agreed
to accept a United Nations resolution calling for
a cease fire .
By 1990, rearmed mainly by purchases from
the Soviets and recovered from the war with Iran,
Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, emerged as a major military power in the region. Saddam became
restive and ambitious. He charged that some rulers of the Persian Gulf States, inspired by the
U.S ., had kept oil prices down by over-production. Iraq had claimed sovereignty over Kuwait
back in 1961. Now Saddam Hussein accused
Kuwait of having stolen $2.4 billion worth of
oil from the Rumala oil field that extended under the border of the two countries. Before dawn
on August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait with
100,000 troops and quickly overran the country
and its massively out-gunned and out-manned
army of 20,000. The emir of Kuwait barely escaped from his presidential palace by helicopter.
With their easy conquest of Kuwait, Iraqi
forces were now poised opposite the borders of
Saudi Arabia, where a successful assault could
bring one-half of the world's known oil reserves
under Saddam Hussein's control. A wide spectrum of nations, the U.N Security Council, and
the Arab League deplored Iraq's aggression and
demanded that it withdraw from Kuwait. A
broad range of collective actions were taken to
isolate and pressure Iraq into compliance. A ban
on oil sales by Iraq, arms embargo, suspension
of trade, freezing of assets held in foreign countries, and a general economic blockade were all
brought to bear on Iraq. For six months diplomats from many nations sought to persuade
Saddam Hussein to pull his forces out of Ku wait. In the meantime, the U.S. sent a sizeable
military force to defend Saudi Arabia. This was
followed by the formation of a coalition of nations to provide for the collective defense of the
region. Coalition forces were moved steadily into
the region and by January 1991 there were over
400,000 troops, 1,500 aircraft and 65 warships
assembled - sufficient to take the offensive
against Iraq and its forces in Kuwait. The offensive began with air attacks on January 17,
1991. The six-week air campaign sharply reduced Iraq's offensive and defensive capability.
The follow-on ground campaign killed or captured thousands of Iraqi troops and sent the rest
into a disorganized retreat in just 100 hours before President Bush ordered a unilateral cease
fire.' In a departing act of vengeance, Saddam
ordered that the oil wells in Kuwait be set afire.
The resulting conflagration, of hundreds of oil
wells burning out of control, raised widespread
alarm over its environmental consequences. The
Iraqi's blasted oil pipe lines and left them to
befoul the desert, coastal waters and beaches in
the area. Bad as it was, the environmental damage was not as dire as many feared. The fires
were blown out and wells capped sooner than
expected, and the recuperative powers of nature
were under estimated.
With the Gulf war over, the absence of the
Soviet threat, and mounting concern over the
national debt, it was time to re-assess the nation's
national defense needs . There was much talk and
speculation about a "peace dividend," from a
reduction in defense needs. The re-assessment
resulted in a major reorganization and reduction
in U.S. armed forces , and a series of military
base closures. Barksdale AFB and the 2d Wing
survived, but the Wing's mission and make up
were considerably altered.
Other lesser events marked this closing period that effected or involved the 2d Wing terrorist attacks and in particular those sponsored
by Libya; overthrow of the Noriega regime in
Panama; U.S . efforts to limit nuclear proliferation by ending production of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium, and the Russian-U.S.
nuclear arms reduction treaty that lowered each
country's nuclear arsenal to 1960 levels (U.S.
3,500 and Russia 3,000).3
The Wing mission remained the same - Peace
through Deterrence . Authorized personnel
strength at year-end was 8,029, with 7,763 assigned. Wing assigned aircraft at the beginning
and end of year were, respectively: 28 B-52Gs
vs 24; 18 KC-135s with no change; and 7 KClOAs vs 15. Unclassified records show that the
Wing was engaged in thirty-one code-named
training missions, exercises and deployments
during the year (see Appendix 23). Three B-52s
deployed to Okinawa for the annual Korean exercise. One deployed to England in April and
another three deployed there in September. KC10 tankers from the 32nd ARefS deployed to
Saudi Arabia for twenty-three days starting in
February. Wing tankers supported nine deployments, including 4th and 35th Tactical Fighter
Wing (TFW) deployments to Germany and a
20th TFW deployment to Spain.
The Wing was the beneficiary of certain facility improvement projects during 1984, including airman dormitory renovations, alert facility
renovation, a new fuel hydrant system, new air
launched cruise missile (ALCM) facility, and
taxiway and parking apron renovations.
SAC 's 28th Annual Bombing & Navigation
Competition was held at Barksdale AFB on October 31,1984, and the 78thARefS (Associate)
received the Best KC-JO Crew Award.
Wing aircraft flew over 18,000 hours during
the year, took part in fourteen exercises, and
other directed operations and made one major
deployment. Seven B-52s and 200 support personnel deployed to England in May. Unfortunately there were three minor aircraft accidents
and one airplane was lost to a ground accident.
The program to improve base facilities continued, and there was a major upgrade in B-52 navigation, and missile launch capabilities, and a
.•
Base air traffic controllers keep a constant vigil over
all air operations. (Courtesy of the United States Air
Force)
Members of the 2D Civil Engineering Squadron were practicing the erection of a temporary shelter. Such
operations took place when Prime Beef Teams deployed in support of remote operations. (Courtesy of the
United States Air Force)
Members of the base Fire Department are well known for their activities on the flight line. Here they were
quenching afire in one of the base housing units. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
new air-launched missile was added to the
bomber arsenal. Four Wing units received awards
for their performance and professionalism during the year.
One major accident marred the 1985 period.
KC -135A 61 -0316 was assigned to the 71st
ARefS . It had been modified to also serve as a
VIP aircraft for use by the Eighth Air Force commander. It had a plush interior installed in the
aft cabin, including a galley, carpets, fake window panels, curtains, and comfortable seats . It
proved unfortunate that some of the flammable
amenities were located in the area of the on-board
auxiliary power unit. The aircraft was taken by
Lt. Gen. Kenneth L. Peek on a staff visit to the
middle east. On March 19 the aircraft was destroyed by fire on the airport ramp in Cairo,
Egypt. The general and his staff had gone into
Base Operations while the crew chief went about
servicing the aircraft. Because the ground power
carts would not work, the crew chief had to use
the on-board auxiliary power unit to provide
electrical power for refueling. During the refueling, the power unit tripped off and smoke filled
the aft cabin. All personnel abandoned the aircraft. The subsequent accident investigation revealed that the auxiliary power unit's flexible
exhaust duct had overheated, burned through,
and set the carpet and curtains afire. The fire was
intensified by flames entering the power unit
fuel vent line. Airport fire fighters extinguished
the blaze but not before the aircraft sustained
extensive fuselage damage. The wings and empennage were still intact, but the fuselage was
gutted and the crown was weakened. When
ground crews attempted to tow the aircraft, it
began to sag. Reinforcing straps had to be installed on the fuselage crown in order to tow the
aircraft.
On August 6, a B-52G suffered $39,120 in
damage from a bird strike. On October 7, a KClOA burst a tire during gear retraction and sustained $3,265 in damage. A taxi accident on
October 31 resulted in $1,825 in damage to a B52G.
Wing B-52Gs were modified to carry the
AGE -89B Air Launched Cruise Missile
(ACLM), developed by The Boeing Company.
The first ACLM arrived on November 12. The
AGM-89B can be launched from outside a combat area or many miles from an intended target referred to as a stand-off capability. The missile
is 19.5 feet long with a diameter of 2.1 feet. Its
wings fold back when stowed and spread to a
span of 12 feet when launched. The weapon is
powered by a F107-WR-100 turbofan engine
which burns lP-10 fuel. It weighs 2,800 lbs., flies
at approximately 500 mph, and has a range of
1,500 nautical miles, hence the "stand- off capability." The AGM-89B has a W-80 nuclear
warhead, with a yield of approximately 200 kilotons. The missile has an on-board terrain following system for guidance and control. The
ALCMs greatly enhanced the strategic bomber's
offensive nuclear capability and its defensive
survivability.
The ACLM coupled with improved B-52
avionics made the bomber a much more sophisticated weapons launch platform. The ANIASQ151 electro-optical viewing system (EVS) and
389
The AGM-89 Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) comes in two models. The AGM-89B nuclear weapon, and
the AGM-89C conventional missile. This missile is shown in its flight mode with the wings spread and the
engine inlet erected. Up to six of these missiles may be carried beneath each wing of the B-52s and another six
on an internal rotary launcher. (Boeing Photo)
These are ATM-84A training missiles used to simulate the AGM-84A Harpoons carried on the external pylons
of the B-52Gs and later the B-52Hs. Originally, six missiles were carried on each pylon; however testing proved
that four was the optimum number to be carried. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
forward-looking infrared ( FUR) had been installed in 1973 to enhance the low-level capabilities of the B-52G and B-52H. An offensive
avionics system (OAS) was added to the B-52Gs
and B-52Hs beginning in 1982. The existing ANI
ASQ-38 bombing-navigation system was replaced by a new AN/ASQ-176 system with a
digital processor. A pair of redundant inertial
navigation systems (INS) were also incorporated.
A new attitude heading reference system was
also added. Coupled with several other components, the OAS offers accurate navigation, position fix, and weapons delivery capabilities for
the B-52.
The first ACLM arrived at the Wing on November 12, and the first B-52 equipped with the
390
Offensive Avionics System arrived on December 17.
In 1986 an air launched cruise missile with
a conventional warhead, (CALCM), was developed and given the Air Force designation, AGM89C . It has an avionics guidance system which
incorporates a global positioning system. Its
range is less than the 1,500 miles oftheALCM.
The AGM-89C, with the conventional warhead,
proved to be better suited to military needs following the Cold War and the apparent end of
the Soviet nuclear threat.
Through arrangement with the U .S. Navy,
their AGM-84A Harpoon, anti-shipping missile,
was tested, and put in the SAC weapons inventory in 1985, to help Navy surveillance of the
oceans. The 2d Wing was one offour B-52 wings
capable of operating with the Harpoon. The missile is 12' 7.5" long, with a body diameter of l'
IS' , and a wingspan of 3'. It is powered by a
660 Ib static thrust turbojet engine. The missile
weighs 1,145, and is a high speed, subsonic
weapon with a range of 57 miles. The warhead
is a 488 lb. penetrating high-blast explosive.
Guidance is provided by a sea-skimming, cruise
monitoring computer, radar altimeter, and active
radar terminal homing. Initial tests were with six
missiles per external pylon, however, release
problems resulted in reducing the number to four
per pylon, or eight per aircraft.
Base improvement projects during 1985 included a new Modular Flight Surgeons Clinic,
Environmental Medical Facility, and Phase II of
the airmen's ' dormitory construction. Renovations included Base Operations, Phases I and II
of runway, apron, and taxiway repair; and the
Airmen's' Club which reopened on April 19.
The Wing and its units garnered four awards.
The Wing was given the 1984 SAC Community
Relations Award. The 71stARefS and the Hospital each won the Air Force Outstanding Unit
Award, and the 32nd ARefS won the Best KC10 Crew award at the Bomb Competition
The Wing flew a total of 22,600.3 hours and
participated in a number of exercises during the
year including four tests of major accident response, and deployed three B-52s, four crews, and
100 support personnel to England for thirty-nine
days beginning August 29. While the purpose of
the deployment remains classified, one can speculate that it was another demonstration of force and
mobility in the Cold War. Other exercises included
an OR!, and exercise WILLIAM TELL. The latter was an air defense exercise held at Eglin AFB,
FL, originally for Air Defense Command and then
Tactical Air Command to evaluate the effectiveness of air defense fighter crews against a variety
of targets, including drones. This was the first year
that bombers participated in this air defense exercise. Perhaps the most important and certainly the
most satisfying operation of the year was the punitive strike against Libya in April for its sponsorship of terrorist attacks. Wing tankers supported
the operation. Base construction activities continued. Several awards were bestowed on units of
the Wing.
On March 26, the Wing received a bomb
threat call from an alleged representative of the
Libyan Front.
REPRISAL AGAINST LIBYANSPONSORED TERRORISM
In 1969 a military junta, led by Col.
Mohamar Qaddafi seized power in Libya from
the constitutional monarchy. By the mid-1970s
Libya had helped to arm violent revolutionary
groups in Egypt and Sudan, and given aid to
terrorists of various nationalities . Libya and
Egypt fought several land and air battles along
their border in July 1977. Libyan attempts to
invade and take parts of Chad were eventually
repulsed. On May 6, 1981, the U .S., citing "a
wide range of Libyan provocations and misconduct," closed the Libyan mission in Washington
DC. In August 1981 , two Libyan jets were shot
down by U.S. Navy planes taking part in naval
exercises in the Gulf of Sidra (off the Mediterranean coast of African between Tripoli and
Benghazi, Libya), which Libya claimed as its
territorial waters. The U.S. accused Libya of
masterminding numerous terrorist attacks, including the December 1985 attacks on the Vienna
and Rome airports . In January 1986, the U.S.
resumed flights over the Gulf of Sidra, and on
March 23, a U.S. Navy task force again began
exercises in the Gulf. When Libya fired antiaircraft missiles at U.S. warplanes, the Navy responded by sinking two Libyan ships and striking a missile site in Libya. The task force operation ceased on March 27.7
There were several unpublicized encounters
between Libyan and U.S. aircraft during this
period. SAC RC-135s monitored the Libyan air
defense system and attempted to lure their eager
fighter pilots out to sea and induce them to run
out offuel and have to ditch. On April 2, a TWA
727 airliner was bombed in flight near Athens,
Greece, and four passengers were sucked to their
deaths. Three days later, a terrorist bomb attack
on a West German night club killed two U.S.
servicemen and a Turkish woman. Libyan terrorists claimed responsibility for the airliner
bombing and were suspected in the night club
bombing. The U.S. accused Qaddafi of having
ordered the night club attack.
After the U.S. failed to get agreement on
economic sanctions against Libya, President
Reagan began high-level, behind the scenes talks
with Allied nations about a retaliatory strike
against Libya. British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher was instrumental in permitting the
United States to use England's bases for this
operation. The strike plan was code named Operation EL DORADO CANYON
Operational planners had their hands full in
determining the targets and available aircraft for
the strike. A B-52 raid was out of the question
for both political reasons and the potential dilution of SAC's EWO posture. U.S. Navy carrier
aircraft in the Mediterranean were too few in
number to strike all of the targets on one night
mission. The best available USAF aircraft to
work in concert with the Navy was the F-IIIF
Aardvark supported by EF-111A Raven (a.k.a.
Sparkvark) jammers. To make such a long strike
with these aircraft, required extensive refueling
support and diplomatic clearances.
High level diplomatic missions were conducted to secure adequate support bases and
overflight permission for the strike. The shortest route to Libya from bases in England is over
France and Italy, but neither would grant overflight permission because of their political and
commercial ties with Libya. Another potential
limitation was that the U.S. had authorization
for only a small number of no-notice exercises
from English bases, any in addition to the authorization had to be publicly announced in advance. The U.S. was fortunate in that it had one
unannounced exercise left unused at that time.
Secrecy was paramount. If all the activity
aroused the attention of the media, they were to
be told it was a base efficiency exercise.
With planning completed, support tankers,
including 13 KC-lOs and two KC-135s from the
2d Wing, were deployed to bases in England to
await the strike order. So classified was the operation, no radio communications regarding
it were permitted. A general officer from the
Pentagon personally delivered the strike orders
to England.
On the night of April 12, U.S . Navy ships in
the Mediterranean moved off the coast of Libya.
USAF tankers in England took off a half hour
ahead of the strike aircraft. The strikes were to
commence at about midnight. The outbound and
return routes were over international waters, resulting in a 2,800-nautical mile round trip flight.
The strike force was comprised of 24 F-l11s
from the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, supported
by 3 EF-I11As from the 42nd Electronic Countermeasures Squadron. Eight F-l11 s struck the
Tripoli Airfield, 4 attacked the Sidi Bilal Terrorist Training Camp, and 12 demolished the Al
Azzizi yah Barracks Compound. Of the 24 F-l11 s
dispatched, one failed to return. The total flying
time for each of the strike aircraft was approximately 13 hours.
Two E-3A Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from the 552d
Wing also supported the operation. SAC tankers from a number of wings provided refueling
support. While SAC still had its EWO alert commitments, various wings were able to provide a
limited number of tankers to support the operation. A force of 22 KC-135s and 26 KC-lOs operated out ofRAF Mildenhall and RAF Fairford. 8
The 2d Wing furnished 30% of its tanker force.
(See Appendix 23.)
Major construction activities at Barksdale
during 1986 included a new day care center and
runway threshold lighting. The latter enhanced
all-weather operations.
SAC revised the paint schemes for the B-52s
during the latter half of the 1980s. Aircraft awaiting the paint change had their white noses painted
over with a dark gray. On December 30, 1986
the 2d Bombardment Wing was authorized by
Headquarters Eighth Air Force to apply the
Fleur-de-Lis on the tail of their B-52Gs. The
Fleur-de-Lis goes back to the 1st Day Bombardment Group in World War I.
The 32nd ARefS received three out of the
four Wing major awards for 1986 - The Air
Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the Best KC10 Unit Trophy, and Best KC- I0 Crew Award at
the annual Bomb Competition. The 2d Consolidated Maintenance Squadron earned the Air
Force Outstanding Unit Award.
49TH TEST SQUADRON9
On April 1, 1963, when the 2d Bomb Wing
ceased B-47 operations at Hunter AFB, GA, the
49th and 96th Bomb Squadrons were deactivated. The 96th Squadron didn't come back into
existence until September 1993 . The 49th
Squadron, while never reassigned to the 2d Wing,
was reactivated as the 49th Test Squadron at
Barksdale in July 1986, by redesignation of the
4201st Test Squadron. This was a move to preserve the lineage and history of significant Air
Force units. The 4201st had been organized since
the early 1970s and engaged in the test and evaluation of air-launched missiles and some nonnuclear gravity weapons. It had been co-located
with the 2d Wing at Barksdale since July 1974.
Barksdale was chosen because of its central 10-
cation to other bases and the national test ranges,
and to be co-located with the 2d Bomb Wing
and its Non-Tactical Instrumentation Branch.
(This latter unit was subsequently assigned to
the 4201st.) The 49th Test Squadron continued
the same test mission. In 1988 the 49th was assigned directly to the Deputy Chief of Staff for
Requirements and Test at SAC Headquarters.
During the major reorganization of the armed
forces during 1990-1992, when SAC was deactivated, the 49th was reassigned to the USAF
Air Warfare Center, Eglin AFB, FL, however, it
remains co -located with the 2d Wing at
Barksdale. Over the years the 49th and 2d Wing
collaborated and worked together to test and
evaluate advanced weapon systems, as directed
by higher authority, including such weapons as
short range attack missiles, an anti-shipping missile, air launched cruise missiles, and perhaps
most importantly, the AGM-86C, the Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile used by the
Wing in its first strike against Iraq during Desert
Storm. Examples of major weapons tests are
described below.
Test drops of gravity nuclear weapons, including the B-28, B-53, B-61, and B-83 were
made on the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.
The sorties attempted to emulate an EWO mission. The mission was started from an alert status . The crews took off at the scheduled time,
air refueled, proceeded to the target on a low
level en route, entered the test range, released
weapons on specified targets, and returned to
base. Weapon release profiles were a mixture
of free fall air burst, free fall ground burst, and
low altitude laydown.
TheAGM-142, Have Nap, missile, designed
in Israel, went into production in the United
States in 1989 as a result of testing by the 2nd
Bomb Wing and the 49th Test Squadron. It is
currently being built to USAF standards under
license by Lockheed-Martin in Orlando, Florida.
The AGM-142 was integrated into the USAF
inventory in January 1993. It is an advance precision-guided air-to-ground missile which is effective against high-value ground and sea targets, such as power plants, missile sites, bridges,
bunkers and ships. The missile is 15' 11" long,
21" in diameter, and has a 6' 6" wingspan. It is
powered by a solid booster rocket engine, and
has a range of 50 miles. Either a blast fragmentation or penetrating warhead may be used. The
weapon's overall weight is 3,000 Ibs. , with a
1,000 lb. warhead. It has an inertial mid-course
guidance system, and an exchangeable high
performance television or infrared terminal guidance system. A large bulbous antenna is mounted
on the aft missile body for the TV data link.
The weapons, and other hardware and software, for all B-52 conventional munitions were
tested extensively. Since 1982, seventy-two such
special missions had been flown . The British
1,000-lb. class gravity bomb was tested and certified prior to Operation DESERT STORM.
Guided Bomb Units and Laser Guided Bombs
were also tested and certified for delivery by
B-52s. Another unique system, for use in high
altitude bombing, was tested and demonstrated.
The system used new, precision technology of
Light Detection and Ranging in conjunction with
a ground-based laser to derive an average wind
for input into the bombing computer. Test ranges
391
are located in California, Florida, Idaho, New
Mexico, and Utah.
This is an AGM-J42A Have Nap missile with its bulbous TV data link antenna mounted on the rear end. (Courtesy
of Lockheed-Martin)
Armorers from the 2D Munitions Maintenance Squadron practiced loading this clip of B61 nuclear bombs into
the belly of a B-52G. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
Here an armorer from the 2d Munitions Maintenance Squadron, infull battle gear, looked over a pallet load of
Mk. 84 bluies - training bombs. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force)
392
The wing flew and incredible 39,379 hours,
which was 16,778.7 more than in 1986. 1987
was marked by the usual training through numerous exercises and deployments, support of
Persian Gulf operations, and unit awards, and
marred by the destruction of an airplane and
the tragic loss of one life. The Persian Gulf operations may account for the higher than usual
flying workload.
Three B-52Gs, using a cell formation, participated in Exercise COPPER FLAG 87-1 on
January 27. This was a TAC-sponsored low level
simulated nuclear strike conducted by the Air
Defense Weapons Center at Eglin AFB, FL. Its
purpose was to train air crews and weapons controllers in the challenges of an air defense environment. The bombers successfully used expendable chaff and flares, ECM, and evasion maneuvers against defending fighters . Saturated commercial airways system at the Atlanta Air Route
Traffic Control Center, and Montgomery (Alabama) Approach Control caused timing difficulties over the target.
Three B-52Gs, equipped with the Offensive
Avionics System (OAS), participated in Exercise COPPER FLAG 87-2. An overview of the
extensive planning is presented here. The exercise called for mission briefing and planning on
January 27 from 8:00 A.M. through 5:00 P.M.
The following day crews gathered at the squadron at 8 :00 a.m. for a half hour of general briefing followed by two hours of specialized briefings for the electronic warfare officers and gunners. The pilots and navigators performed mission planning between 8:30 A.M. and 3:30 P.M.
A 30-minute (minimum interval takeoff) MITO/
Cell briefing was held between 1:00 and 1:30
P.M. This was followed by a crew briefing between 3:30 and 4:30 P.M. On January 29, a pretakeoff briefing was conducted at the squadron
hanger between 9:45 and 10:05 A.M. The MITO
takeoff was scheduled for 12:46 P.M.
Such training paid off for the Wing crews
during Operation DESERT STORM.
Exercise RED FLAG 87-3 was flown on
March 27, by three OAS-equipped B-52Gs over
the Nellis Range for a low level conventional
weapons strike. The mission called for a cell
takeoff followed by an en route cell formation.
The aircraft entered the range and dropped three
bombs per aircraft where scoring was excellent.
One aircraft developed a trim control problem
after engine start and a substitute aircraft was
provided. Difficulties in using the Air Force
Satellite Communication System were attributed
to an incorrectly briefed communications plan.
Tactics employed included terrain masking (flying below mountain ranges) and terrain avoidance. ECM training was of minimal value due
to too few ground radar threats. The crews also
begged for fighter opposition at low level so as
to enhance and test their skills.
Three OAS-equipped B-52Gs participated in
Exercise MAPLE LEAF on May 14. This was a
low level simulated nuclear strike over Canada.
The aircraft made a cell takeoff followed by an
en route cell formation. The aircraft entered the
Canadian Maple Flag Range on time and made
32d ARefS - Golden Tanker Award for
a successfully camera attack on the designated
outstanding air crew professionalism.
target.
32d ARefS - Outstanding Air Refueling
1987 was the year of the nation's heaviest
Squadron in Eighth Air Force in 1986.
involvement in the Persian Gulf policing actions.
2d Bombardment Wing - General
The Iran-Iraq war still raged. The U.S. Navy
George C. Kenney Trophy for the best perbegan escorting the reflagged Kuwait tankers in
formance in a SAC OR!.
the Gulf on July 22. Two days later one was
2d Bombardment Wing - Glossy Eagle
struck by an Iranian underwater mine and the
Award for the best maintained aircraft in
Navy had to quickly bring in helicopter minethe bomber division. (The Glossy Eagle
sweepers from the U.S. with the assistance of
program was started by CINCSAC, Gen.
MAC airlift. Navy fighters and ships destroyed
John T. Chain to improve the appearance
two Iranian oil platforms and repelled an attack
of the command's airplanes. Both air and
by small Iranian boats. MAC C-141s and C-5s
ground crews worked together on nonduty days [ie, weekends and non-alert
began flying personnel and supplies to airfields
in the Persian Gulf region. These transports were
days] to clean, apply touch-up paint, and
refueled by SAC KC-135s and KC-lOs.
to generally spruce-up the aircraft. Even
Tactical Air Command deployed a rotating
the families joined in these work parties,
force of E-3AAWACS aircraft from the 552nd
further cementing the bond between air
Wing at Tinker AFB, OK, to bases at Riyadh and
crews, ground crews, and their families.
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. One E-3A was airborne
The program was halted in the 1990s afin the Persian Gulf region around the clock. They
ter USAF attorneys raised the issue of
provided real time intelligence about aircraft and
personal injury liability of the Air Force
ship movements, controlled U.S. and Allied air
for possible injury to family members.)
traffic, directed air defense operations, and coordinated air refueling operations. SAC tankers rotating from the U.S. furnished refueling support
for these missions. These operations continued
The Wing received a mission change effecuntil August 20, 1988 when Iran and Iraq agreed tive October 1. The 62d Bomb Squadron's misto a U.N. resolution calling for a cease fire. For sion was changed from nuclear to conventional
over a year 2nd Wing tankers lent their support to warfare. The 596th Bomb Squadron retained its
these operations and crews are eligible to wear nuclear mission. In September, two B-52s and
the Persian Gulf campaign ribbon.
two KC-lOs deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam
Four B-52s and six crews deployed to RAF to test the Wing's conventional warfare capabiliFairford, EnglandAugust 17 in what is presumed ties from a forward operating location. The airto have been related to the Gulf War or was a craft flew to both Guam and Korea as part of a
Cold War maneuver.
SAC-generated conventional weapons exercise.
The aircraft accident tragedy occurred on Each aircraft flew 12 successful missions.
August 17. KC-lOA, number 82-0190 had reMost other Wing operations remain classified,
turned from a training mission at a remote in- but eleven exercises, including the deployment to
stallation and was undergoing maintenance to Guam, were identified. They included four BOLD
clear malfunctions in the fuel and hydraulic sys- SHIELD aircraft generation exercises, and four
terns when the airplane exploded. The explosion major aircraft response exercises during the frrst
and subsequent fire separated the fuselage at the third of 1988. During late May and early June the
leading edge of the wing. Five emergency ve- Wing deployed to Clinton-Sherman AFB, Oklahicles from the base fire department arrived homa to participate in Exercise BULL RIDER, a
within two minutes of the explosion but were test of the war reserve spares kit. This SAC-diunable to save the aircraft, or Sgt. Joseph M rected mission called for the deployment of seven
Burgio Sr. from the 2d Consolidated Mainte- __ ...B-52Gs for 30 days of flying out of a forward
nance Squadron. Sgt. Burgio was working in the operating location. During this exercise, the Wing
rear of the fuselage.
flew a total of 172 sorties.
Fire consumed the entire aircraft from the
T/Sgt. Timothy P. Carroll, of the 2d Organitrailing edge of the wing to the nose gear. The zational Maintenance Squadron, was recognized
cockpit was left lying on its right side with the as the Air Force Crew Chief of the Year on Septop caved in due to the fire. The wing tanks were tember 19, 1988, at the Air Force Association
ruptured, with sections outboard of the engines National Convention in Washington, DC. When
resting on the ground. Although still attached to asked about his job as a B-52 crew chief, he rethe wing, the No. 1 engine was severely dam- plied: "This job takes a lot of dedication, espeaged by the fire and its lip was touching the cially for a plane as old as the B-52. Everyone
ground.
knows that there are very few B-52 pilots older
A hydraulics specialist was in the cockpit at than the aircraft they're flying, but if you think
the time of the explosion and managed to es- about it, there's probably not a crew chief as old
cape through a cockpit window. Sgt. Burgio was as a B-52."
not so fortunate. His body was found by fire deThe 2d Bombardment Wing was awarded the
partment personnel in the boom pod in the aft General George C. Kenney Trophy for the secfuselage.
ond consecutive year for performance in its anThe following awards were presented to ele- nual OR!. Wing commander, Col. Charles T.
ments of the 2d Bombardment Wing:
Robertson, Jr., stated: "An ORI is the most realistic peacetime test a SAC wing can undergo as
2d Bombardment Wing - Sweeny Award an operational Air Force unit and being selected
presented by Eighth Air Force for best op- as champion under those circumstances is an
erational performance.
honor of which the Wing should be very, very
proud." As of this writing, Robertson is serving
on active duty in the grade of lieutenant general
(see Appendix 6).
1989
As this history progresses into more current
time periods, the unclassified records become
increasingly scarce. In addition to the limited
available information about exercises and other
operations, the most significant event of this
period was the operation that led to the capture
of Panamanian strongman, Gen. Manuel
Noriega.
During May, Wing bomber forces worked
numerous extended duty days and weekends in
support of forty-nine PROUD SHIELD sorties,
six MAPLE FLAG missions - in a joint exercise with the RCAF at the Cold Lake base in
Alberta, Canada- oneAGM-142 HAVE NAP
missile test mission, one flare test, and two
media sorties. A media sortie permits the unit to
display some of its military capabilities to members of the press corps.
On May 20 Wing tankers flew nine missions
in support of Exercise PROUD SHIELD and
achieved a 100% takeoff rateY
OPERATION
JUST CAUSE
On February 4,1988, federal grand juries in
Miami and Tampa, FL returned indictments
against Panama strongman Gen . Manuel
Noriega, charging that he had protected and otherwise assisted the Bolivian Medellin drug cartel, linked to 80% of the cocaine smuggled to
the U.S. Part of that assistance was through-passage of drugs and laundering of drug money.
Attempts to oust Noriega by the U.S. plunged
Panama into political and economic turmoil.
After he tried to fire Noriega as head of the
Panama Defense Forces, Panamanian President
Delvalle was himself ousted by the country's
National Assembly. Noriega became the effective ruler of Panama, and despite U.S.-imposed
economic sanctions, he remained in power. National elections were held in May and Noriega
claimed victory, but foreign observers reported
that the opposition had won overwhelmingly.
The government voided the election. In October
a U.S . sponsored coup failed and Panama declared a "state of war," with the U.S. President
Bush ordered an invasion of Panama.
With the agreement of the Organization of
American States (OAS), 24,000 U.S. troops invaded Panama on the night of December 20 to
overthrow the Noriega regime, and install aU.
S.-backed popularly elected government. The
General was to be captured and brought to the
U.S. to face the drug trafficking chargesY
The situation in Panama had prompted the
U.S. to deploy additional troops there in April.
The 2nd Wing's 71st ARefS gave tanker support to the C-141s that airlifted these troops.
Lt. Col. William G. Rogers, commander of
the 71st ARefS, led the total tanker force that
refueled the inbound airlift, and its tactical air
support aircraft. More than half of the
Squadron's tankers and crews off-loaded over
500,000 lbs. of fuel to 14 receivers during this
operation. 14 General Noriega escaped immediate capture, took refuge in the Vatican diplomatic
393
mission, but surrendered after ten days to U.S.
authorities on January 3, 1990.15
Units participating in Operation JUST
CAUSE between December 20, 1989 and January 31, 1990 were awarded the campaign ribbon
for this operation. 16
CINCSAC General John T. Chain presented
the Wing with two awards during 1989. The
Wing was awarded the Omaha Trophy as the best
SAC Wing and the 2d Organizational Maintenance Squadron was honored as the Best in SAC
for 1988. Other awards received during the year
were:
•
2d Bombardment Wing - Hoban Trophy
presented by retired Lt. Gen. Richard M .
Hoban for the Best Wing in the Eighth
Air Force.
2d Bombardment Wing - Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. (July 1, 1987 thru
June 30, 1990)
2d Bombardment Wing - Verne Orr
Award for the Best Utilization of Resources in the Air Force.
2d Bombardment Wing - Glossy Eagle
Award for the best maintained aircraft for
the third consecutive year.
2d Bombardment Wing - Carl A. Spaatz
Refueling Trophy for the Best Tanker Unit
in SAC.
2d Missile Maintenance Squadron - Best
in the Eighth Air Force .
2d Organizational Maintenance Squadron - Best in Eighth Air Force.
2d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron - Best
in Eighth Air Force. I? (See Appendix 5.)
1990
1990 began much like any other year for the
Wing with SAC EWO alert operations, unit
training, and higher headquarters tasking. Between December 27, 1989 and January 19, 1990
the Wing deployed seven B-52Gs, three KC lOAs, and 400 support personnel to Roswell
AFB, New Mexico to test bare base operating
capabilities for Exercise MIGHTY FORCE 901 and RED FLAG 90-2. The Wing placed 100%
of its bombs on target and achieved an outstanding effectiveness rating. 18 But events in the
Middle East would soon shake the Wing out of
its routine operations.
The Arab Oil embargo of 1973 had, at least
temporarily, sensitize the U .S . to the potential
consequences of its dependence on foreign oil,
and especially Middle East oil. If they didn't
recall the embargo's impact on the economy,
many Americans had vivid memories of their
frustrations and the personal inconvenience of
the long automobile lines at the gas pumps. The
experience prompted a national campaign to reduce dependence on foreign oil. A broad spectrum of programs was instituted, including energy conservation, development of alternate
sources of energy such a solar, wind, and nuclear
power, and increase in domestic oil exploration
and production. But the U.S . is the most voracious consumer, by far, of oil on the planet, and
in 1989 consumed 3.5 times more than Japan,
and 7.6 times more than West Germany, the next
two closest competitors. The impetus from the
oil embargo soon faded and by 1990, the U.S.
394
was more dependent on foreign oil than in 1973,
the year of the embargo. That year the U.S . imported 34.8% of its total consumption, only 5.3 %
of which came from the Arab Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC) nations. By 1990 the U.S. was importing approxi mately 45 % of its consumption, of which 14%
came from the Arab OPEC nations. In a nation
that consumed oil at the 6.3 trillion barrel level
in 1990, or in excess of 17 million barrels per
day,1 9 a disruption in that flow of only a very
few percentage points could have far-reaching
consequences. So when events indicated that
another Middle East war was in embryo, the area
caught both U .S . and international attention.
By mid- 1990, President Saddam Hussein of
Iraq had the means and the motive, and showed
growing evidence of the intent to embark on a
venture of conquest. Iraq was in dire need of hard
currency to payoff its debts from the eight-year
war with Iran. By the summer of 1990, Iraq had
the world's fourth largest army and sixth largest
air force. Its military budget placed a $721 per
capita annual debt on its population which had an
average annual income of $1,950. The mounting
evidence of intended conquest came from the
following chronology of the events: 20
On July 17, 1990 , in a televised speech,
Saddam Hussein warned the world he would attack Kuwait if his demands are not met regarding reestablishing the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border, a
reduction in Kuwaiti oil production, and a decrease in Kuwait's share of oil from the Ruma1a
oil field which extends under the border between
the two nations. Kuwait owned one-tenth of the
world's oil reserves. Hussein charged certain
Persian Gulf States, and particularly Kuwait, of
depressing oil prices by overproduction,costing
Iraq as much as $1.00 per barrel and $1.0 billion
annually in revenues. In adition to other demands, Hussein demanded $10 billion immediately from Kuwait.
On July 18, Kuwaiti forces were placed on
alert and American Ambassador to Iraq, April
Glaspie, tells the Iraqi Foreign Ministry that all
disputes in the Middle East must be settled
peacefully.
On July 19, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman
Gen. Colin C . Powell telephoned Gen. H.
Norman Schwartzkopf, CINC Central Command
(CENTCOM), to discuss contingency planning
for the defense of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
against a potential attack from Iraq. USAF Brig.
Gen. Buster C. Glossom, en route to his new assignment as Deputy Commander of the Joint
Task Force, Middle East, paid a courtesy call on
Gen. Schwartzkopf and was instructed to oversee Exercise IVORY JUSTICE in which United
Arab Emirates French-built Dassault Mirage
fighters spent two weeks practicing air refueling operations with SAC tankers.
July 20 newspapers reported that Iraqi forces
were amassing on the Kuwaiti border. The CIA
confirmed that 30,000 Iraqi troops were deployed.
On July 21 , Exercise IVORY JUSTICE
commenced. USAF AWACS aircraft were also
involved in the exercise. The United States installed a mobile tactical air control center in Abu
Dhabi, capitol city ofthe United Arab Emirates.
On July 25, Ambassador Glaspie was summoned to meet with Saddam Hussein. Hussein,
correctly interpreting the implication of Exercise IVORY JUSTICE, states that he would not
resolve his dispute with Kuwait by force.
On July 26, Kuwait agreed to cut its oil production.
On July 30, the CIA reported that 100,000 Iraqi
troops and over 300 tanks were massed at the Kuwaiti border. A reconciliation meeting was held between Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia. The talks failed, and Kuwait walked out August 1, but stood down its armed forces so as not to
provoke Hussein. Separately, Hussein assured Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek and Saudi King Fahd
that he would not attack Kuwait, but not to tell Kuwait. Mubarek called President Bush and said Hussein
was bluffing.
At 1:00A.M., (6:00P.M. Eastern StandardTirne)
August 2, Iraqi forces entered Kuwait with air, land,
and naval forces. Kuwaiti forces reeled under the attack and the royal family barely had time to leave the
country. By noon Hussein controlled one-fifth of the
worlds oil supply and was moving, unopposed, to
Saudi borders. Hussein judged that the U.S. response
would be limited and would tale off. Vietnam had
been a tenible defeat militarily and politically, and
the U.S. didn't have the stomach for sufficient military intervention.
President Bush issued Executive Orders
12722 and 12723, declaring a national emergency and addressed the National Security Council on the implications of the attack. Then the
U.S. froze all Iraqi and Kuwaiti assets in U.S .
banks. Additionally, trade and financial relations
with Iraq were terminated. The Soviet Union,
Iraqs major arms supplier, suspended sales of
military equipment. On August 3, Secretary of
State, James Baker, and Soviet Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, issued a joint statement condemning the invasion. The Joint Chiefs
of Staff reviewed their options, including a top
secret CENTCOM plan for moving ground
troops and supporting air and naval forces to the
region over a period of three-four months! The
CENTCOM staff began formulating a plan for
the defense of Saudi Arabia. Exercise IVORY
JUSTICE was terminated, however, SAC KC135 tankers remained in the theater.
After U.S. Secretary of Defense, Richard
Cheney met with Saudi Kind Fahd, the King
agreed to permit U.S. forces to deploy to his
country. In what was to become Operation
DESERT SHIELD - the build-up of Coalition
forces in the region - the U.S. deployed
250,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen into the
Persian Gulf in less than three months. The difficult part for King Fahd was obtaining agreement from his Arab neighbors for permitting
assembly oflarge foreign forces in Saudi Arabia.
Between August 13 and August 25 numerous high-level talks were held between heads of
state, ambassadorial staffs, and military leaders.
The U .S. ordered a major call-up of Reserve
forces and deployed numerous ships, aircraft,
and personnel to Saudi Arabia. For the first time
in history, the Civil Air Reserve Fleet (CRAF)
was called up, with numerous U.S . airlines providing aircraft and crews for the massive airlift
to the Gulf. By August 20 CENTCOM had sufficient ground forces to fight a holding action in
Saudi Arabia. These forces were all airlifted to
the Gulf. It was not until August 27 that the first
sealift forces arrived in the theater.
On August 30, President Bush urged other
nations to help pay the costs of this massive effort, and to provide additional personnel and
equipment to support the Coalition operation.
U.N. sanctions prevailed and 13 other nations
provided a total of658 tactical aircraft. The U.S.
Navy deployed six of its aircraft carriers - three
each were stationed in the Persian Gulf and Red
Sea. Saudi Arabia provided all of the fuel at no
charge to the Coalition forces.
The Coalition Forces came from the U.S. and
13 other nations. A summary of these nations
and their committed aircraft follows:
Nation
Bahrain
Belgium
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
Kuwait
Netherlands
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Total Fixed Wing Aircraft
No. of Aircraft
12
18
30
48
18
26
35
18
50
19
216
78
90
2.152
2,790
The Coalition Forces in the theater trained
daily amidst the arrival of additional forces. SAC
deployed 256 KC-135s, 46 KC-lOs, and 107 B52Gs to the theater. Seven of these B-52Gs came
from the 2d Bomb Wing. Another seven B-52Gs
from the Wing participated in an historic mission known as Operation SECRET SQUIRREL.
OPERATION
DESERT SHIELD
Beginning on August 7, four KC-l OAs from
the 32d ARefS deployed 44 security police and
staff to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Within one week,
the Wing had airlifted a total of 161 personnel
and 44.8 tons of equipment to Riyadh. On the
same day, KC-IOAs from the 32dARefS began
refueling support for a massive deployment of
F-15s from the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley. They were supported by 71st ARefS KC135s led by its commander, Lt. Col. Gary L.
Barber. Not knowing what was in store for them,
the F-15s flew armed for combat. The fighters
took off from Langley at 5:20 P.M. (12:20A. M.
Riyadh time) refueled several times with the 71st
tankers, and landed at 7 :20 A.M. EST, (2:20 P.M.
Riyadh time), making it a l4-hour flight. Also,
arriving in Saudi Arabia was aC-141 with a combat control team from Langley, and two E-3
AWACS aircraft from the 552ndAWACS Wing
at Tinker AFB, OK.
Many of the units deploying to the Gulf region operated under bare base conditions. Living quarters were tents. Providing purified distilled water became a major logistics problem.
Air navigation facilities were minimal, therefore the Air Force Communications Command
and Military Airlift Command provided navigational equipment and a wide variety of communications gear. Of great importance was the relatively new Global Positioning System (GPS) of
navigation. Fighting a war at night requires pre-
cise navigation. The air crews had to struggle
1991 - SECRET SQUIRREL AND
with the indistinct radar ground returns from the
DESERT STORM
desert. The GPS system, which permitted navigational accuracy to within a few feet, was an
On January 12, Col. Ronald C. Marcotte,
indispensable piece of equipment, especially for commander of the 2d Bomb Wing, went to Monighttime, hi-tech warfare. It was used by the ron AB, Spain to take command of the 801st
crews and pilots on B-52s, tankers, and tactical Bombardment Wing (Provisional). The men and
aircraft. In addition, it was used on the ground women of the 2d Bomb Wing had played an inby Air Force forward air controllers, in lead creasingly active role in Operation DESERT
vehicles, to keep the Coalition ground forces out SHIELD. Since Iraq invaded Kuwait, Wing KCof harms way of friendly aircraft attacking en- l35As and KC-IOAs had flown numerous soremy front line positions. One ground unit even ties hauling over 2,000 passengers, more than
used a GPS system to direct mess vehicles to a 2,000 tons of supplies and equipment, and offstarving unit. To make up for a shortage of is- loading over four million gallons of fuel. The
sued GPS equipment, many Army and Air Force Wing furnished commanders at two forward
deploying units purchased their own receivers . tanker task force bases, in addition to Col.
from places like Radio Shack!
Marcotte at the 801st. Col. Albert Perez, who
On August 10, the Pentagon officially desig- led the Moron Tanker Task Force, said: "Long
nated this period offorce build-up as Operation working hours, cramped living conditions, unDESERT SHIELD. By August 11, crews and familiar customs and food, and, of course, the
aircraft from the Air National Guard and Air absence of family and friends are but a few of
Force Reserve began augmenting the Military the challenges facing the men and women deAirlift Command's (MAC) C-5 and C-14l air- ployed here."24
lift force and SAC's tanker force. During Stage
Coalition forces were fortunate that Saddam
1 of the force build-up, sixteen commercial air Hussein was not a military leader. He allowed
carriers from the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) the Coalition to assemble its forces and become
furnished 18 flight crews for long -range pas- familiar with the region with little or no intersenger airlift, and another 21 long-range cargo ference. One crew member likened this to conaircraft and crews. On January 18, 1991, Secre- ferring home field advantage on Coalition forces.
tary of Defense Richard Cheney activated Stage
II for the CRAF, which increased the commerOPERATION SECRET SQUIRREU5
cial airlift force to 79 passenger and 108 cargo
aircraft. The CRAF call-up was doubly difficult
Planning for the potential use of the AGMfor some of the airlines because many of the 86C Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile
called-up reservists also flew for these airlines.
(CALCM) started early during the Operation
Tankers from the Lajes and Moron (Spain) DESERT SHIELD phase. The missile had been
Tanker Task Forces refueled the thirsty C-5s and developed four years earlier in an attempt to
C-141s as they crossed the Atlantic.
solve problems encountered during the attack on
On August 17, the 71 st ARefS deployed four Libya. That mission had taken and inordinate
KC-135As with 100 Wing personnel - one- amount of planning and preparation, one crew
fourth of the Squadron - to the Azores. Twelve was lost, and some civilians were injured or
days later Col. William J. Liquori, Vice Wing killed by errant bombs. The needed improveCommander, and a few staff personnel arrived ments were obvious - shorter mission response
to head up the Lajes Tanker Task Force. The 71st time, better crew security, and precision bombSquadron continued to support the European and ing accuracy to avoid endangerment of non-comAlaskan Tanker Task Forces, as well as main- batants. The solution was the AGM-86C standtaining the SAC's strategic war plan (nuclear off missile designed with a 1,000-lb. convenforce) alert at Barksdale. 21
tional blast fragmentation warhead, that had the
On September 27, Col. Albert W. Perez, II, effect of a 2,000 lb. bomb, and with Global PoWing Deputy Commander for Maintenance, led sitioning System (GPS) satellite receivers for
a contingent of 15 staff personnel from the Wing unprecedented target accuracy. The missile was
to head the Moron Tanker Task Force in Spain.
developed and tested in strictest secrecy, first,
One of the StandardizationlEvaluation crews so that any potential enemy would not know of
from the 7lst ARefS deployed to Giorio Colle, its existence because there were so few GPS satItaly, to qualify Italian Air Force Tornado pilots ellites in operation an enemy might suspect an
in the delicate art of aerial refueling using the attack by knowing when the satellites were in
probe and drogue method. The Italians had their position and secondly, so as not to upset or comown refueling capabilities using tactical aircraft, plicate U.S.-Soviet arms limitations negotiations
but getting behind a large KC-135 for the first because, to the unpracticed eye, the AGM-86C
time was no easy task. Immediately thereafter, was indistinguishable from its nuclear counterthe Italians left to join the Coalition forces.
part.
By the end of September, SAC had 100 tankers
There were more than three dozen of the misin the Gulf region, and by December 20, the Air siles in storage igloos at Barksdale on August 2
National Guard had brought in an additional 62.
when Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. Air Force
The 32ndARefS won the 1990 Sgt. Archibald leaders advised the National Security Council
Mathies Memorial Trophy as the best flight en- that selected, high-value targets in Iraq could be
gineering section in SAC. The award recognized struck from the U.S. within one days flying time
SAC Flight Engineers who have demonstrated This was to give the President an option, where
the highest level of professionalism, dedication, few others existed, to strike early for political
reasons, realizing there was little or no capabiland sustained excellence. 22
The Wing ended 1990 having flown 32,580.7 ity for sustained follow up. Even then, additional
preparation time was required. For security reahours - 4,796 more than allocated by SACY
395
sons, only one crew had flight tested the missile. In the next few weeks fifteen more crews
were introduced to the missile.
Lt. Col. Jay Beard, commander of the 596th
Squadron was ordered to get ready. More crews
would be needed to carry out the type of mission offered to the White House. On August 18
eight more crews were brought into the planning. This started a five-month period of suspense and pressure on the air crews.
A select few qualified crew members went
to SAC headquarters early in the preparation
phase to confer on mission planning and to work
with targeters. A target list was developed at SAC
Headquarters and provided to the Wing. As of
this writing, the target list is still classified.
Back at Barksdale the B-52s were loaded with
the CACLMs, fully fueled and crews went on
alert. New mission planning "tapes," with current targets, arrived from SAC, sometimes as
many as three times a week. This put aircrew
mission flight planning into a constant state of
adjustment. Copilots, responsible for fuel planning, plotted and re-plotted fuel consumption
curves. One copilot said the air refueling seemed
to change every day.26 Alert crews and staff personnel began mission practice, rising as early as
3:30 A.M. to meet a 90 minute reaction time,
for possible take offs at 6:00 A.M.
These conditions were taxing Col. Beard's
crews to the limit. Not only were they heavily
engrossed in SECRET SQUIRREL preparations,
but had not been relieved of alert responsibility
for SAC's strategic war plan. They were also
losing B-52s and crews to forward bases in Spain
and Diego Garcia from which they would later
operate during DESERT STORM. To give relief and permit a more normal training routine,
seven more crews were assigned two months into
the program. On Tuesdays, crews studied the
mission and the numerous changes. A randomly
selected crew would then conduct a rigorous
certification of all aspects of the mission. All
aircraft committed to the mission were preflighted on Thursdays. This included verification of the Global Positioning System on each
of the 39 CALCMs.
As time passed and Saddam Hussein did not
push into Saudi Arabia, or show any signs of
leaving Kuwait, Coalition plans changed. President Bush decided to essentially double Coalition ground forces. With a wide spectrum of air
power already in the region, the need for a
CALCM first strike subsided, but the pressure
on the alert crews didn't ease.
Early in mission planning, SAC told the crews
they would have a 24-hour advance notice - 12
hours to get ready and 12 hours for crew restY
Such notice was eminently reasonable given the
length of the mission, even with an augmented
crew - and the importance attached to its success
as a first strike. Thorough last-minute preparation
and mission planning were a must to best assure
success and to preserve the element of surprise. A
minimum of four refuelings would be required.
The normal six-man crew would be augmented
by an extra pilot and an extra radar navigator. With
an augmented crew of eight, quarters would be
cramped. There was also the matter of food and
the need for plenty of fluids to stave off dehydration. And crews wanted to start with clean clothes
and flight gear.
396
The crews continued to go through mission
briefings and pre-flight. The seven B-52Gs,
loaded with the missiles and fueled, were parked
in a cordoned off area of the ramp. One crewman recalls going out to pre-flight the aircraft
one rainy night and one of the guards asked him
about the conventional ALCM - the crewman
denied any knowledge of such a weapon.
On January 11, 1991, after five months of
preparation and waiting, the seven crews destined to fly the mission were placed on heightened alert. On January 14 they were restricted
to the Wing alert facility. This caused a bit of
concern for one of the wives who called the Wing
Command Post several times looking for her
missing husband! Col. Beard received the launch
order at midnight on January 16. Takeoff was to
be 6:30 that morning! He rousted the crews at
3:00 A.M. No 24-hour advance notice, for some
unexplained, compelling reason - perhaps security. And the local weather must not have been
a consideration. A cold, hard, January rain was
falling.
Col. Beard had placed some fit-for-flight
meals -low residue, low gas - aboard the airplanes so as not to tip-off the mission through
the mess hall by allowing crews to have hot
meals or even flight box lunches. He had stocked
the airplanes with five-gallon jugs of water and
jugs of coffee. The pilot and radar navigator instructor seats had been removed and two sets of
air mattresses and sleeping bags were put aboard,
one for the flight deck and one for the lower deck,
to give some opportunity for crew rest en route.
After the mission briefing, Lt. Gen. Ellie G.
Shuler, Jr., Eighth Air Force Commander, spoke
to the crews. It was in part a pep talk in which he
likened the mission to that of the Doolittle raiders fifty years earlier. "After that we were really
pumped up," said Col. Beard. There were notable similarities between the two missions.
After long and careful planning, the first casualty of the mission was the plan. Each was
launched earlier than planned in foul weather.
Each was a first mission of its kind ever flown
in combat. Each was to make a much needed
morale-building strike - one after the national
embarrassment of Pearl Harbor, and one after
the embarrassment of the Vietnam war.
The crews slogged out to their rain-soaked airplanes. There was a flurry of re-fusing shorted gear.
Later one secure voice radio link had to be coaxed
into operation by on-board crew ingenuity. The
fully loaded planes grossed 244 tons - the heaviest most pilots had ever flown - and would take
9,000 feet of runway to get airborne. The sevenship formation flew in three cells - 3-2-2 - in
trail, one mile apart with 500 feet vertical separation. Lt. Col. Beard was the airborne commander
and flew as the extra pilot in the lead ship. (See
Appendix 24 for SECRET SQUIRREL aircraft
and crew rosters.)
All ships roared off successfully and turned
northeastward into the dull early morning skies.
The first hitch, in a mission that was to be plagued
by them, was not long in coming. Some where
over the Atlantic, and before the frrst refueling near
the Azores, Col. Beard called on the secure voice
frequency for check in. He quickly had
affirmatives from five, but not the sixth. Aircraft
commander, Capt. Bernard S. Morgan, and pilot
Lt. Michael C. Branche, flying sortie 4 in Miami
Clipper, reported they were working on something
and would have to get back to him. Then silence.
An hour went by, and so did the point of no return. Still nothing. Finally Morgan reported they
had shut down an engine at takeoff due to fluctuating oil pressure. Normally this would have been
reason for mission abort, but it had been determined that the mission could be flown with six of
the eight engines. The crew had stalled the report
until past the point of no return. Col. Beard had to
admire their gung-ho attitude, and gave the OK to
continue.
The first air refueling was by two KC-135s
per bomber from the Lajes Tanker Task Force.
Each tanker off-loaded 70,000 lbs. of fuel. The
second refueling was over the middle of the
Mediterranean by KC-lOs from Moron AB,
Spain. The lead cell was tracked by an unknown
fighter that passed through the formation, in the
dark, during this refueling. Timing across the
Mediterranean was crucial. The mission had been
set back a couple hours so the formation would
not pass Libya before the F-117 Stealth Fighters
made their first strikes on Baghdad. Mission
planners did not want Libya to spot the B-52s
and alert Iraq. The formation flew in radio silence, blacked out, and in darkness across the
Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and finally to the
vast wastelands of the Arabian desert.
DESERT STORM hostilities had begun. As
the three cells approached (classified) they were
ordered to reverse course or land at (classified).
Apparently the order was part of the confusion
that attended the opening of the air offensive.
Lt. Col. Beard responded with: "Stand by," and
pressed on with the mission. Just prior to reaching their assigned launch areas, the sixth and
seventh airplanes in the last cell were trailed by
an unidentified fighter for about five minutes.
After crossing (classified), each aircraft descended, accelerated, and controlled its own timing to the missile launch area. The three lead
bombers went to a northern launch area, and the
remaining four went to a southern launch area.
The launch areas were in the far western part of
Saudi Arabia, about 100 miles from the IraqSaudi Arabia border. Of the 39 missiles carried,
35 were launched. Launches were sequenced
over a ten minute period to disperse the missiles
so they wouldn't hit each other or the launching
aircraft. Launch times and routes to the targets some took direct courses and some indirect were programmed so the missiles would arrive
at their targets simultaneously. Four missiles
failed the in-flight pre-launch testing and had to
be hauled back to Barksdale. Air Force authorities had given strict orders that no defective missiles were to be launched to avoid undesirable
or embarrassing collateral damage. As the missiles unfolded their wings, fired up, fanned out,
and headed for Iraq, the launch crews wheeled
to the west and started homeward. The flight was
half over, but not half flown.
DESERT STORM operations started at 03:00
A.M. The first Coalition strike was from eight
Apache gun ships that destroyed two early warning radars in southern Iraq using Hellfire missiles fired from a range of four miles. The radars were protected by antiaircraft guns, but electronic countermeasures and a low-level approach
prevented the gun laying radars from "seeing"
the gun ships. The gun ships were followed by
ten stealth bombers-the first Coalition force to
strike Baghdad. Pre-strike jamming of Iraqi radar defenses gave away the attack, so Iraqi antiaircraft artillery lit the Baghdad sky with barrages of random fire. The Stealths sent their precision-guided bombs against telephone communications, Baghdad air defenses, and Saddam's
war ministries, and came away unscathed. Six
minutes after the Stealths left, SECRET SQUIRREL cruise-launched missiles were slamming
into their targets.
Back over the Mediterranean, the SECRET
SQUIRREL bombers ran into severe weather.
Visibility dropped below two miles, the minimum for refueling. With only thirty minutes of
fuel left, visibility improved enough for the refueling rendezvous with KC-lOs from the Moron Tanker Task Force. Head winds higher than
expected necessitated that each bomber take on
200,000 Ibs. of fuel - 50,000 Ibs. more than
planned. Lt. Col. Beard had reason to worry
about fuel. Four bombers were carrying 2,500
Ibs. each of hung missiles. Two others were each
dragging a pair of seized engines, and another
two had fluctuating oil pressure readings.
As they headed into the Atlantic, some crew
members tried to get some rest. It wasn't easy.
On the lower deck, space was so cramped that
the choice was to have one's head or feet in the
urinal. Then weather turned foul again. They
were lashed by head winds of 130 to 140 knots.
No amount of searching to get out of the wind
provided any relief. At Lajes the fierce winds
grounded the tankers that were to give the bombers their fourth and last refueling. With fuel running low, Col. Beard radioed MoronAB for help.
KC-I0s rushed to the rescue. They stayed as long
as they could, giving each bomber, except one,
50,000 to 60,000 lbs. of fuel, but had to break
while they still had fuel enough to get back to
Moron. A refueling malfunction and a shut-down
engine left sortie 3, Capt. Charles E. Jones, Jr.,
AlC and crew in Grim Reaper, 40,000 Ibs. less
fuel than the other bombers.
The planes, with hung missiles, dead engines
and still fighting head winds, continued to eat up
fuel. Col. Beard realized they would need yet another refueling to avoid premature landings somewhere along the east coast. He managed to raise
the Eighth Air Force Command Post at Barksdale
on a secure frequency and two alert tankers from
the 19th Air Refueling Wing, Robbins AFB, GA,
met the bombers just off the coast. But the plague
of the unexpected wasn't quite over.
One of the bombers was suffering from a faulty
radio and was unable to communicate with the
tanker. Using a special plane-to-plane communication system to relay messages, Col Beard got
the ailing bomber and tanker together. Only then
did everyone have enough fuel to limp back to
Barksdale. Fighting the extra drag and head winds
ultimately lengthened the mission by six hours!
It was nearly dark when the crews arrived at
Barksdale. They wasted no time getting on the
ground. The three aircraft with hung missiles
were nosed into hangars until the missiles could
be unloaded. The dog-tired crews went through
a perfunctory debriefing, then back to quarters
for a well-deserved rest. They had just completed
the longest combat mission ever flown, covering 14,000 miles in approximately 35 hours,
made the first salvo launch of AGM-86Cs in
Aircraft
57-6508
57-6509
58-0176
58-0181
58-0245
59-2580
59-2590
Provisional Wing
801st
1708th
801st
801st
801st
801st
806th
801st
801st
Base
MoronAB
Jeddah
MoronAB
MoronAB
MoronAB
MoronAB
RAF Fairford
MoronAB
MoronAB
Total
combat, and destroyed, or seriously damaged
vital targets in Iraq. Yet their accomplishment
remained cloaked in secrecy for exactly a year
to protect the identity of the AGM-86C.
The CALCMs had been launched against
eight, high priority targets, including
electricpower generation and transmission facilities and military communications relay sites.
Initially, it was difficult to assess the results.
When the lights didn't come on in Iraq the following night, it wasn't known whether because
of voluntary blackout or the result of the mission strikes. It proved to be a combination of
both. Later reconnaissance showed that many of
the CALCMs hit their targets dead-on. Of the
35 missiles launched, one fell in the launch area
and was later found and destroyed, one was never
accounted for and perhaps was shot down, and
the remaining thirty-three were ultimately
judged by SAC Intelligence to have achieved
85% to 91 % of the target objectives. 28
There was one other notable achievement of
the mission - it was a demonstration that military "presence" had taken on new meaning .
"Presence" no longer necessarily meant deployment or stationing of forces in forward areas
overseas. As Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen.
Merrill A. McPeak stated: "The 2d Bomb Wing
is 'present' at Barksdale ... and it is also 'present'
twenty hours later, at any spot on the globe. And
everybody knows that."29
The Operation SECRET SQUIRREL flight
crews briefed Gen. McPeak in the Pentagon on
September 19, 1991. Gen. McPeak declared ... ,
"the accomplishment of this mission was impressive." Subsequent briefings of Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, and Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs, Gen. Colin L. Powell yielded similar
comments. 30 (See Annex 24.)
A year later after the classification was removed, Eighth Air Force commander Lt. Gen.
Martin J. Ryan, Jr. , in a special ceremony at
Barksdale, recognized the dedication and heroism of the men and women of the 2d Wing who
had participated in this historic, longest mission.
Each participating crew member was awarded
the Air Medal for superb airman ship and demonstration of the USAF philosophy of Global
Reach - Global Power.3!
OPERATION
DESERT STORM32
On January 17, 1990 at 3:00 A.M. (January
16,7:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time) Lt. Gen.
Sorties
5
29
3
20
25
2
9
17
...25.
l18
Combat
Hours
79.3
134.5
40.5
301.4
355.1
29.0
133.0
236.0
355.4
1,664.2
Charles A. Horner ordered Phase I of the air war
to commence. By 3 A.M. the moon had set and
layers of clouds swirled over much of Saudi
Arabia and up into Iraq. The objective was to
gain air superiority. Coalition Forces flew 750
sorties from land bases, while the U.S. Navy and
Marines launched another 228 combat sorties
from the six carriers stationed in the Red Sea
and Arabian Gulf. Command and control was
furnished by USAF E-3A AWACS aircraft and
U.S. Navy E-2C Hawkeyes. Two hundred different targets were hit on this opening aerial assault. It was the first time the world had seen
precision bombing on a massive scale. Only one
coalition pilot was lost.
KC-135s from the 71 st ARefS were deployed
to numerous bases in the theater including:
Incirlik, Turkey; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Moron
AB, Spain; and Lajes AB, Azores. Three 71st
crews were involved in the strike against Iraq
on that first night. Eight wings sent a total of
107 B-52Gs to participate in the Gulf War. Included were the seven aircraft from the 2d Wing
listed in above chart.
B-52G, sin 57-6509 carried the name NineO-Nine, in honor of a B-17 from the 91st Bombardment Group in England during WW II. This
airplane is on display at the Eighth Air Force
Museum at Barksdale. The remaining B-52Gs
were retired to Davis-Monthan AFB during
1992.
In addition to the other deployments, several crews from the 2d were deployed to Diego
Garcia where they flew B-52Gs provided by
other SAC wings. This unit was known as the
4300th Bombardment Wing (Provisional), where
the 42nd Bombardment Wing from Loring AFB,
Maine was the lead unit.
The remaining 2d Wing B-52Gs were deployed from B arks dale AFB, to other SAC bases
to preserve SAC's emergency war plan capability by replacing B-52Gs sent to the Gulf War.
No combat aircraft were left at Barksdale during this period.
SCUD HUNTERS
On January 18, Iraq countered with a Scud
missile attack on both Israel and Saudi Arabia.
A total of seven missiles were launched at Tel
Aviv and Hafia. Another missile, aimed at
Dhahran, missed by 1.5 miles. On the following
day, Iraq launched three more Scuds at Tel Aviv.
Throughout the war, Iraq employed its Al
397
Outhouse Mouse II, was B-52G-90-BW, sin 57-6508, stationed at MoronAB, Spain with the 801 st Bombardment
Wing (Provisional). The crew chiefblock on the 2d Bombardment Wing B-52s is in the form of a map ofLouisiana
with a star marking Barksdale. This aircraft was named in honor of the WW II Outhouse Mouse, B-17G from
the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 9lst Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force in England. (Courtesy of Maj. Rod
Lees)
This is an SA -2 Guideline surface-to-air missile employed by the Iraqis during the war in the Gulf To the rear
is a Fansong radar used to guide the missile. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force via Air Force Association)
Hussein and Al Abbas mobile-launched Scud
missiles. Hussein wanted to provoke Israel into
retaliating, and thereby actually or tacitly joining the coalition. Hussein hoped that by so doing, the coalition would disintegrate as other
Arab states would refuse to fight along side Israel against him. Israel was convinced to leave
retailiation to the Coalition and was quickly furnished the U.S. Army Patriot defensive missile
for some measure of self-protection and to help
pacify a jittery populace.
The Scud is a mobile, mid-range tactical missile designed and manufactured by the Soviet
Union, and exported to its satellite nations. It was
sold in quantity to all Warsaw Pact nations and to
Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Libya, South Yemen, and Syria.
The Scud was first used in combat by Egypt during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Subsequently it was
398
employed by both Iraq and Iran during their protracted eight-year war. The missiles are transported
on large, eight-wheeled MAZ-543 mobile erectorllauncher vehicles, which are easily camouflage
during the day in residential areas. The Soviets
had furnished the Iraqis with 45 to 65 of these
vehicles; however, more could have been built
locally. It was known by U.S. intelligence that the
missiles required about one hour to fuel, thereby
giving significant time for satellite infra-red detection. But the crafty Iraqis devised special insulated tankers which reduced infra-red detection.
The Scud B has a range of I 00-IS0 miles. With
the help of Soviet technicians, Iraq made two
longer-range versions of the Scud B known as the
Al Hussein and Al Abbas. These missiles have
ranges between 400-600 miles. The basic missile
is 2' 9" in diameter and varies in length. The Scud
The remains of a SCUD missile and launcher after
being attacked by U.S. airpower. (Courtesy of the
United States Air Force via Air Force Association)
B is 37 '4" in length. The missile fins are moveable and controlled by a primitive inertial guidance system. Neither missile is known for its accuracy (about a half mile) and serve mainly as a
weapon of intimidation. The Al Hussein and AI
Abba missiles have greater lengths for increased
fuel capacity, but smaller war heads to compensate for the added fuel weight. The guidance system is less able to cope with the larger weapon,
resulting in even less accuracy. The warhead on
the Scud B weighs I,S92 Ibs., and successively
less on the Al Hussein and Al Abbas.
These missiles were well concealed during
the day and extremely difficult to locate from
the air. Fortunately, the U.S. had a counter-capability just emerging from development - the
E-SA Joint Stars (JStars) aircraft. This nocturnal airplane prowled the skies locating targets
of opportunity for the other Coalition aircraft.
The IStars was deployed directly from test status, accompanied by manufacturer technical representations who flew actual combat missions
to assure the operational capability of the aircraft. Developed by Grumman, on a former
Boeing commercial 707-300 jetliner, the E-SA
is a USAFIV.S. Army Joint Surveillance and
Target Attack Radar System (Jstars), which is
used for battle management. There are seventeen operator stations on board. The aircraft uses
a variety of radars, including a new synthetic
aperture radar which produces a photographiclike image road map of fixed targets or of selected geographic areas, and stores them for fu ture use. The aircraft also carries the Wide Area
Surveillance Moving Target Indicator, which
detects, locates, and identifies moving targets.
An advanced signal processor enables the E-SA
to differentiate between wheeled and tracked
vehicles. During Operation DESERT STORM,
these aircraft even spotted barbed wire being
moved by the desert wind at night! Un-refueled, the aircraft can fly for over seven hours.
The E-SA logged 535 combat hours during
the Gulf war. It directed numerous types of tactical aircraft, including the B-52Gs. According
to Maj . Gen. John A. Corder, CENTAF Director
of Operations, the B-52s flew along roads that
were known to be traveled by the Scud vehicles
in the western combat area. In what became
known as the "Giant Scud Hunt," Coalition aircraft flew 2,493 sorties against these targets,
thereby reducing the Scud attacks from five per
day during the first 10 days of combat to an average of one per day for the remaining 30 days.
On the night of February 13, the E-8A detected
an Iraqi armored division as it began to move,
and a B-52 cell was directed to attack this rich
target. On another occasion, Scud missiles were
detected on flat cars in a marshalling yard and
the B-52s were called in to destroy them.
B-52 NIGHT BOMBING
Beginning with the opening night, B-52Gs
from the three provisional wings flew three-ship
cells on low-level, multi-axis attacks - a combat tactic developed in the mid-1980s. Three
B-52s would penetrate a target area, at near simultaneous times, from three different directions, flying at speeds of 400 knots and approximately 200 feet above the ground. The tactic
was designed to saturate a target and foil or
confuse defenses. Navigation and timing from
the IP, on these attacks, were extremely critical
to assure success of the tactic and to avoid collision with fellow raiders. One crew member
reported how loud the antiaircraft fire sounded
even above the roar of his aircraft's eight thundering engines.
Crews from the Wing's 62nd Squadron led
the first-ever, night, low-level, combat sorties
through mountainous terrain, in adverse weather,
to strike vital targets in north, central and southern Iraq. The 62nd's crews flew 12 ofthese missions and over 220 high level sorties and dropped
in excess of one million pounds of bombs. These
numbers represented 20% of all bomber ordnance dropped. "Consistency and total team effort helped us become the best in the command."
said Lt. Col Michael L. Chase, the Squadron
commander. 33
Several of the 62nd's crews were honored
for their courageous and meritorious performance on that opening night. Capt. Christopher
S. Hoefly, of the 2d Wing's 62nd Bomb Squadron, was flying B-52 sin 59-2585 out of Diego
Garcia, in the Indian Ocean . He and his crew
were using the night low-level attack tactic
against an Iraqi airfield. In the face of heavy
antiaircraft defenses and enemy fire, and extremely limited visibility over unfamiliar enemy territory, the crew pressed the attack. The
raid denied the enemy the ability to conduct operations out of the airfield?4 Capt. Hoefly was
awarded the DFC, and his crew Air Medals for
this mission. The crew landed at Jeddah after
flying the 12.2-hour mission. The aircraft and
crew were then reassigned to the 1708th Bombardment Wing (Provisional) at Jeddah.
Captains Frank Ochello, Tim Leaptrott, Gary
Scott, and T/Sgt John Wright entered Iraq at night
from the north, penetrating mountainous terrain
at low level in zero visibility because of weather
and successfully struck their target. Capt. Charles
Perez also on this first low-level night assault
These hardened shelters, built by Soviet advisors for the Iraqi Air Force, were no match for
(Courtesy of the United States Air Force via Air Force Association)
against Iraq successfully attacked an airfield in
southern Iraq. All of these men were awarded
the DFC.35
That first night Coalition aircraft, of almost
every type, struck critical command and control,
communications, and power stations in Iraq.
Later, the B-52s hammered the elite Iraqi Republican Guard inside Kuwait. A captain from
the 2nd Wing assigned to the 4300th Bombardment Wing (Provisional) on Diego Garcia, recalls seeing an unforgettable sight on his forward
looking infrared/electro -optical viewing
screen - Iraqi troops raising their heads as the
B-52s thundered overhead. Nothing happened,
except a load of bombs with time-delayed fuses
were dropped. Later, back at the officer's club
on Diego Garcia some crew member would stand
up at IS-minute intervals and shout "BOOM!"to mimic the bombs exploding on Iraqi troop
concentrations in Kuwait.
On the second night, January 18, Capt. Timothy Leaptrott, A/C, and crew from the 2d, in
Nine-O-Nine, sin 57-6509, flew from the provisional wing at Moron AB, Spain to make a lowlevel attack on a suspected Iraqi chemical, biological, and radiological research facility near
Mosul. The rest of the crew consisted of Capt.
Bryan Ellsworth, CP; Capt. Timothy Puhr, RN;
Capt. Tony Ramos, EWO; and S/Sgt. James
Sellen, G. The crew received the DFC for their
airmanship in attacking this very crucial target.
Another crew from the 2nd Wing was flying
on the third night and sustained antiaircraft fire
at an altitude of 35,000 feet. The blast ruptured
the cabin pressurization system, and the aircraft
suffered a rapid decompression. Sudden decompression is a startling sensation, but very survivable if oxygen is quickly used, and there is
no failure of cabin structural integrity sufficient
for occupants to be blasted out of the airplane.
Unlike the airlines, where oxygen masks are to
be donned in the event of decompression, combat crews routinely fly on oxygen when over
hostile territory for safety reasons and to improve their senses
S/Sgt. James D. Protzman, the boom operator on a KC- lO from the 2nd ARefS, was credited with saving a battle-damaged A-lO Warthog
and its pilot. Sgt. Protzman snagged the ailing
u.s.
airpower.
aircraft by its refueling receptacle with the refueling boom latches on his KC-lO. The KC- lO
crew was then able to drag the ailing aircraft back
over friendly territory in Saudi Arabia where the
pilot made a safe, dead-stick landing. S/Sgt.
Protzman was rewarded with the Air Medal for
his skill. 36
On one mission, the lead aircraft developed
radio problems and could only talk to the third
aircraft in the cell. It becomes difficult to have
command and control of a mission without adequate radio communications. Rick Holt, copilot in the lead aircraft, was knowledgeable and
innovative enough to restore the radios.
Shortly after takeoff from Moron AB on another mission, the aircraft air conditioning system went to full cold. The water jugs froze. The
entire crew was freezing. They took off their
boots and put their feet in their helmet bags and
used the high-powered Aldus signal light to heat
their feet. Despite their predicament, the crew
successfully completed the mission.
One crew from the 2d reported dodging a
Scud missile while inbound to the target! They
tracked it with their electro-optical viewing system - one of the 1985 up-grades to the B-52 to
enhance its low-level operating capability.
The B-52s engaged in a series of counter-air
attacks against Iraqi airfields and weapons storage areas, helping to paralyze Saddam' s air force.
After just a week of bombing, only about five
Iraqi airfields were operational. The enemy hid
his aircraft in farm buildings and even put some
next to a famous archeological site to spare them
from the devastating air attacks. By January 23,
Coalition forces had control of the air. Initially,
the B-52 strikes were conducted only at night,
but with advent of air supremacy, these bombers flew around the clock.
A cell of six KC- lOs, commanded by Col.
Marcotte, took off from Moron AB, Spain at 4:00
P.M., January 28, to refuel six B-52s en route to
targets in Iraq. Capt. Bob Burton, 2d Wing Chief
of Safety, was an observer on tanker number 6.
About 9:00 P.M., and with the refueling a half
hour away, the boom operator on number 6 became violently ill from food poisoning, and was
incapacitated. The aircraft commander advised
Col. Marcotte of the emergency, while Capt.
399
This is an example of Coalition action against a Soviet-built radar antenna which was part ofSaddam Hussein's
air defense system. (Courtesy of the United States Air Force via Air Force Association)
Burton administered oxygen and water to the
boom operator. Marcotte advised the crew to
accomplish the refueling any way possible.
Burton and the flight engineer carried the ailing
boom operator to the refueling station. The engineer returned to his normal station on the flight
deck. Burton went through the refueling check
list as the boom operator nodded yes or no.
Burton instructed the B-52 commander to make
contact on his first approach, which he did. The
refueling was completed successfully, and the
B-52 crew took on 160,000 lbs. of fuel, enough
to complete their mission. Capt. Burton took
the boom operator back to the flight deck and
continued to give him water and oxygen. The
still ailing operator was turned over to a waiting
flight surgeon on return to Moron. Capt. Burton
was awarded the Air Medal for his performance
during this emergency.
400
According to Maj . Gen. Corder, CENTAF
Director of Operations, the B-52s were a superb
psychological weapon, especially before the land
battle began. Our troops could feel the ground
shake and see burning Iraqi tanks ahead of them.
Psychological warfare airplanes went in dropping
POW passes and leaflets informing the Iraqis what
they could expect if they did not leave Kuwait.
Next came the giant rototiller in the sky - the B52s - unleashing havoc on troop and tank concentrations. The B-52s hammered unmercifully
on the Iraqi army at three-hour intervals. Iraqi
POWs poured over the lines with ruptured ear
drums and bleeding sinuses. They were completely
shell-shocked. Iraqi prisoners talked of their fear
of the aircraft. Iraqi tank troops, who viewed their
tanks as a battlefield haven, came to fear them
because they kept being blown up.
Just prior to the Coalition ground assault, the
Marines expressed concern over the barbed wire
entanglements ahead of them. The B-52s were
called in to destroy the concertina wire, thereby
clearing the way for the Marines.
The last mission in ~he Gulf War was flown
on February 28, 1991. A force of 14 F- l11s,
based at Incirilik, Turkey, and 16 B-52s struck
Taji, a large military-industrial complex just
north of Baghdad.
The Gulf War air campaign was carried out
in four phases. Phase I were the strategic sorties
flown against key targets in Iraq, mainly around
Baghdad, between January 16 and 18. Phase II
were the air defense suppression sorties flown
to gain air superiority. A limited number of sorties were flown between January 16 and February 28 against Iraqi airfields and their integrated
air defense system. In Phase III, coalition air
forces attacked the Iraqi field army. This phase
was to isolate the army by denying it supplies
and reinforcements, to systematically destroy its
armor, artillery, and vehicles, and to demoralize
its will to fight. In Phase IV the air forces supported the Coalition ground force offensive starting on G-Day, February 24 and continuing until
the cease fire was ordered on February 28.
The last major redeployment of the Wing
during 1991 occurred on April 17, when Col.
Marcotte, Wing personnel, and the aircraft returned from Moron AB, Spain to Barksdale.
On September 16, 1991 Eighth Air Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Martin Ryan, awarded the decorations described above to members of the 2d
Bombardment Wing who had distinguished themselves during the Gulf War. At this same ceremony,
Col. Marcotte was awarded the Bronze Star for
meritorious service as the commander of 801st
Bombardment Wing (Provisional). He quickly
established combat operations and directed 293
combat strikes, crippling Iraq petroleum storage,
electrical generation, and weapons production and
storage capabilities. His rapidly-organized depot
level maintenance function supported 45 bombers and 250 tankers at 16 forward operating locations, and produced an average aircraft missioncapable rate of over 90%, which exceeded even
peacetime standards.37 (Note: Initially there were
very few decorations awarded to the air crews for
the Gulf War. Some air crew commanders felt
there was an inequity in the way decorations were
awarded, particularly the Air Medal. Some Air
Medals went to individual crew members and
some to entire crews without a perceivable distinction as to why. Following appeals to review
the awards process, additional decorations were
awarded in 1995.)
During both Operation DESERT SHIELD
(the build-up), and Operation DESERT STORM
(hostile operations), members of the 2d Wing
bomber and refueling units distinguished themselves in a myriad of air operations . During
DESERT STORM, 2d Wing tanker squadrons
were an integral part of the tanker force that flew
almost 17,000 sorties, completed nearly 52,000
air combat refuelings, and transferred more than
123.0 million gallons of fuel. The 2d Wing tankers alone off-loaded more than 17.0 million gallons of fuel and flew in excess of 1,800 sorties.
Perhaps more than in any other campaign, aerial
refueling was vital to getting air forces into the
theater quickly, and once hostilities started, sustaining around-the-clock operations.